Alkass Digital
Hosts Qatar will be looking to seal a berth in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers when the Group A fixtures of the pre-qualifiers tip off at the Al Gharafa Sports Club Multi-Purpose Hall in Doha, today.
Despite missing out on a place at next year’s continental showpiece after concluding the qualifiers with a 1-5 record which also ended their nine straight Asia Cup appearances, the Emmanouil Manouselis-coached men will be eager to emerge at the top of the group at home this time.
Qatar will take on Oman in their opening fixture at 7pm today and will meet UAE in their second game on Saturday at the same time.
Qatar, a two-time bronze winner and a familiar face in the Asia Cup over the past decade, will look to make their way back to the top flight with the help of a highly motivated and energised squad as they begin their transition into a new era.
It is expected that Qatar will be lining up a young squad for these Pre-Qualifiers, but the young guns will already have quite some experience. Most of the team have already played a significant role for Qatar through the Asia Cup 2022 Qualifiers and will be looking to add on even more mileage at the Pre-Qualifiers.
Qatar’s Group A opponents UAE head into this First Round of the Pre-Qualifiers, coming off a gold medal run through the GCC Games in Kuwait.
On the other hand, Oman are likely to face a tough situation in Qatar. Oman also played in the GBA pre-qualifiers back in 2018, though they were unable to secure a win across 6 games.
The pre-qualifiers will be played in two rounds. In the first round, the teams in each region (Western and Eastern) will be divided into two Groups and will play in separate Round Robin tournaments to qualify the three best-ranked teams to the Second Round.
In the second round, the three best-ranked teams in Groups A and B will combine as Group E of the Second Round while the three best-ranked teams in Groups C and D will combine as Group F.
The four best-ranked teams in each group will qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers.