FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers:
Iran to play home double-header at neutral venues
Iranian national basketball team will have to play its next two home games at the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers at neutral venues, the Iranian Basketball Federation announced.
Iran will face Jordan on February 27, before taking on Syria on March 2 in first-round Group C of the qualifiers.
“Despite all efforts by the Iranian Basketball Federation and continuous international follow-ups, Iran’s hosting rights for its home games in the second window of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers have ultimately been moved to a third country,” the IRIBF said in a statement on Saturday, citing an official FIBA announcement.
“The Central Board of the sport’s international governing body, at its latest meeting, endorsed the decision by the FIBA Executive Committee to hold Iran’s home games outside the country until further notice. FIBA stated that the safety and security situation in Iran and Israel remains under review, adding that it is prepared to return hosting rights to their respective territories once suitable circumstances are met,” the statement added.
The venue for the two matches has yet to be determined by the Iranian federation.
Iran got off to a flying start in its qualification campaign, defeating Iraq in back-to-back games in Zouk Mikael, Lebanon, in late November.
Iranian players drained a remarkable 19 three-pointers – the third-highest tally ever recorded by a team in a single game in the history of the Asian qualifiers – to secure a 94-68 victory in their group opener. Sotirios Manolopoulos’s side then prevailed 86-71 in the second outing to sit second behind Jordan in the table, level on four points.
The top three teams from each of the four groups will advance to the second round of the qualifiers. The 12 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.