FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers:
Iran undone by New Zealand in overtime
Iran got off to a losing start in the second round of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Friday, suffering a narrow 93-91 setback against New Zealand in the Group E opener in Pasay, Philippines.
Early foul trouble for Iran offered an indication of the kind of challenge on hand for Greek head coach Sotiris Manolopoulos, who entered the second round on the back of a 5-1 record in the preliminary stage.
The contest played out exactly as advertised: hard, physical defense from both teams, leading to verbal tiffs and subsequent technical fouls.
Clearly, it is a rivalry that has not needed decades to materialize.
In their only previous tussle, the Asia Cup 2025 third-place game, Team Melli prevailed 79-73.
In this repeat bout, the game was tied 14 times, with nine lead changes.
New Zealand’s biggest lead came in the second quarter, only for Iran to erase an 11-point deficit with a 14-0 run of its own.
The final 20 minutes remained a nip-and-tuck affair.
With 54 seconds remaining in regulation, New Zealand’s Sam Mennenga fouled out, but his frontcourt namesake Sam Waardenburg stepped up in overtime. With New Zealand leading 93-91 and eight seconds left on the clock, Waardenburg denied Iran a chance to force a second extra period.
Earlier, point guard Shea Ili started overtime with a bang, courtesy of a throwdown that came out of nowhere. Ili finished with 24 points and six rebounds.
He was ably supported down the stretch by forward Reuben Rangi, who chipped in 13 points, six of them in the extra period.
The win marked New Zealand’s second overtime triumph in the 2027 World Cup Qualifiers, following a double-overtime victory over the Philippines earlier in July in the first round.
Matin Aqajanpour topped the scoring for Iran with 19 points, posting an efficiency rating of 15, while Mohammad Amini, making his first international appearance since last year’s FIBA Asia Cup, scored 16 points in 26:55 on the court.
Seyyed Mahdi Jafari also reached double figures with 14 points, while veteran Mohammd Jamshidi, whose most recent appearance for the national team came during the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers, finished with 12.
Iran will conclude the opening window of the second round against the Philippines on Sunday before heading to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which start on September 19, where the country will chase a fourth medal in six editions after missing out on the semifinals in Hangzhou 2022.
On returning to the World Cup qualifiers, Iran will face powerhouse Australia on November 27, followed by a rematch against the Philippines in the second window.
The top four teams in the six-team group, also featuring Jordan and Syria, will qualify for next summer’s World Cup in Qatar.