By Staff Reporter
Doha: The Qatar men’s national basketball team will wrap up its preparatory friendly series on Thursday, June 25, 2026, when it hosts Tunisia in the second and final encounter at Al Gharafa Sports Hall.
The match is the last opportunity for the Qatari squad to fine-tune its preparations before entering the decisive phase of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 qualifiers. It follows the first friendly on Tuesday, June 23, which Tunisia won 69–64 in a closely contested game that offered valuable insights to both teams.
Under Turkish head coach Hakan Demir, Qatar’s technical staff will use this final test to evaluate the players’ physical condition, tactical execution, and the progress made during the recent training camp in Antalya, Turkey (June 11–20). The camp focused on fitness, team chemistry, defensive and offensive improvements, and transition play.
“This final friendly is very important for us,” the coaching staff emphasized, aiming to assess overall readiness before finalizing the roster for the upcoming official fixtures.
Qatar’s strong qualifying campaign so far
Qatar has shown impressive form in the Asian qualifiers, recording a narrow 74–75 home loss to Lebanon, followed by a historic 86–83 away victory in Beirut, and a dominant 99–73 win over India in Doha. These results have positioned the team competitively in Group D, where Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon are tied on five points each.
Upcoming fixtures
Qatar will resume its qualifying campaign with a crucial rescheduled match against Saudi Arabia on June 29 at Al Gharafa Sports Hall. The team will then travel to face India in Ahmedabad on July 2, before meeting Saudi Arabia again in Jeddah on July 5.
Meanwhile, Tunisia is using its week-long training camp in Doha to prepare for the third window of the African qualifiers, scheduled for July 2–5 in Angola.
Thursday’s game is expected to see significant squad rotation, allowing the Qatari coaching staff to gain a final clear picture of the team’s readiness as they target a strong performance in the race to qualify for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup, which will be hosted in Doha.
