FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers:
Iran drains 19 threes to beat Iraq in group opener
Iran got off to an emphatic start in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, draining a remarkable 19 three-pointers to defeat Iraq 94-68 in the first-round Group C clash in Zouk Mikael, Lebanon, on Thursday.
Sina Vahedi led the way with a game-high 21 points, while point guard Behnam Yakhchali chipped in 19 on his long-awaited return to the national team.
Matin Aqajanpour (15 points), Arman Zanganeh (13), and Navid Rezaeifar (11) also finished in double figures for Iran. For Iraq, point guard Ramon Galloway and Abdullah Hayder Alibraheemi topped the scoring with 20 and 12 points, respectively.
Iran’s three-point tally was the third-highest ever recorded by a team in a single game in the history of the Asian Qualifiers – behind Australia (21) and New Zealand (20). Iran was just one make shy of becoming only the seventh team in World Cup Qualifiers history to hit 20 threes in a game.
It was not a one-man show either, as both Aqajanpour and Yakhchali knocked down five three-pointers apiece, while Vahedi and Zanganeh each connected three times from beyond the arc.
The victory lifted Iran to the top of Group C – which also includes Jordan and Syria – ahead of Sunday’s rematch against Iraq.
In other Group C action, American-born Jalen Cole Harris scored 22 points and Ahmad Al-Dwairi added 18 as Jordan beat Syria 74-59 in Amman.
Elsewhere in the qualifiers, Saudi Arabia defeated India 75-51 in Riyadh in Group D, thanks to a game-high 23 points from Muhammad-Ali Abdurrahkman. Lebanon survived a late scare against Qatar to begin its World Cup bid with a narrow 75-74 win in Doha.
The top three teams from each of the four groups will advance to the second round of the qualifiers. The twelve qualified teams will be split into two groups and will face the three teams advancing from the corresponding group twice – Group A will be paired with Group C, and Group B with Group D.
The top three teams from each second-round group, along with the best fourth-placed team, will qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.