Saudi basketball team to face Japan in 2027 World Cup qualifiers

The Saudi national basketball team will host Japan on Thursday at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena in Jeddah, as part of the fourth round of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers in Qatar.

This match marks the start of the second round of Asian qualifiers, within the fourth window, before Saudi Arabia travels to face South Korea on August 31.

The Saudi team is led by Argentine coach Ricardo Daniel Maffei, who took charge earlier this August, at a time when group standings are tight and competition for qualification spots is intensifying in Group F.

Group standings and significance of upcoming matches

Saudi Arabia currently sits sixth in Group F with nine points, having secured three wins and three losses in the first round—the same tally as South Korea and China.

Lebanon leads the group with 11 points from five wins and one loss, while both Japan and Qatar have 10 points each.

The second round matches are especially crucial, as all results from the first round carry over. Qatar’s results continue to count, despite their automatic qualification as hosts, but they will be excluded from the final ranking of qualified teams.

Qualification system and Saudi Arabia’s prospects

According to the qualification format, the top three teams from each group, along with the best fourth-placed team, will advance to the World Cup finals, joining host nation Qatar.

Saudi Arabia aims to capitalize on this window to achieve positive results against Japan and South Korea, boost its points tally, and improve its group standing to strengthen its chances of securing a spot at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup finals.