By Staff Reporter
Jeddah: Qatar’s men’s national basketball team concluded the first phase of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027 in impressive fashion, defeating Saudi Arabia 76-73 in a thrilling Group D encounter in Jeddah on Sunday.
The hard-fought victory secured Qatar second place in the group standings and provided a timely confidence boost ahead of the second round of the qualifiers. Displaying resilience and composure, the visitors overturned a third-quarter deficit with a dominant final period to seal a deserved three-point win.
The contest remained evenly balanced throughout, with both Gulf rivals exchanging momentum. Saudi Arabia edged the opening quarter 18-17 before the teams shared the second period 15-15, giving the hosts a slender one-point advantage at halftime.
The home side appeared to strengthen its grip on the match after taking the third quarter 21-15 to build a comfortable lead. However, Qatar responded brilliantly in the decisive final quarter, producing a disciplined defensive display and an explosive offensive performance to outscore Saudi Arabia 29-19 and complete a memorable comeback.
Alen Hadzibegovic led Qatar’s scoring with an outstanding 21-point performance, proving instrumental in the team’s victory. Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Ali Abdulrahman finished as his side’s leading scorer with 19 points.
Elsewhere in Group D, Lebanon strengthened its position at the top of the standings with a convincing 98-72 victory over India. Lebanon finished first with 11 points, while Qatar secured second place on 10 points. Saudi Arabia ended third with nine points and India remained at the bottom with six.
Although Lebanon, Qatar and Saudi Arabia had already booked their places in the second round before the final round of fixtures, Qatar’s victory over their Gulf neighbours ensured they advanced as group runners-up with renewed confidence.
Qatar’s qualifying campaign featured several notable performances. The team opened with a narrow 75-74 defeat to Lebanon in Doha before earning an impressive 86-83 away victory over the same opponents. They followed that with a commanding 99-73 triumph over India, suffered an 86-80 home defeat to Saudi Arabia, bounced back with a 65-56 victory against India, and wrapped up the opening phase with Sunday’s crucial win in Jeddah.
The Qatari delegation was headed by Qatar Basketball Federation Secretary-General and National Teams Director Saadoun Sabah Al-Kuwari. The administrative staff also included team manager Jassim Ibrahim Ashkanani and assistant manager Nabil Jumaa.
The national team was guided by Turkish head coach Hakan Demir, assisted by Cengiz Karadag, Muris Memic and Abdou Sow, while Mohammed Vural served as fitness coach. The medical team comprised Dr. Adel Harmiyeh, Dr. Adel Saleem and Nicacio Sagaino.
Qatar’s squad for the qualifying window featured Abdulrahman Saad, Mostafa Fouda, Omar Saad, Zeineddine Badr, Mohammed Hashem, Mostafa Nado, Babacar Dieng, Othman Dieng, Elhadji Bobo Magassa, Alen Hadzibegovic, Donte Grantham and Mahmoud Darwish.
Following the victory, Al-Kuwari praised the players for their determination, discipline and commitment throughout the contest. He said the result reflected the collective efforts of the coaching staff, administrators and players, while providing a valuable psychological lift ahead of the next stage of the qualifiers.
He reaffirmed the federation’s ambition to maintain its upward momentum and continue producing strong performances as Qatar pursues qualification for the FIBA Basketball World Cup, which it will host in 2027.
