Doha – June 24, 2026:
The Qatar men’s national basketball team will conclude its preparatory friendly series on Thursday, June 25, 2026, with a second encounter against Tunisia at Al Gharafa Sports Hall. This match forms part of the training program set by the Qatar Basketball Federation ahead of the upcoming official commitments in the qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027.

The game follows the first friendly held on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, which ended in a 69–64 victory for Tunisia. The tightly contested match provided both coaching staffs with valuable technical insights before entering the decisive qualifying stage in the coming days.

The second meeting carries significant importance for Qatar’s technical staff, led by Turkish head coach Hakan Demir, who aims to use the final friendly to assess the players’ physical and technical readiness. The evaluation covers the benefits gained from the recent training camp in Antalya, Turkey, and the two friendlies against Tunisia—one of the leading Arab and African basketball teams.

The coaching staff hopes to maximize technical benefits from this final test before returning to official competition. Qatar faces crucial qualifying fixtures on its path to the 2027 World Cup, which will be hosted in Doha for the first time in the tournament’s history.

The national team recently completed its overseas camp in Antalya (June 11–20), which featured intensive physical and technical sessions focused on fitness, team cohesion, and tactical execution. The camp emphasized improving both defensive and offensive performance, accelerating transitions, and enhancing on‑court chemistry—key elements for the demanding upcoming stage.

Thursday’s friendly is expected to feature broad participation across the squad, giving the coaching staff a clearer picture of overall readiness before finalizing the roster for official matches.

Meanwhile, Tunisia is conducting its own training camp in Doha, running for a week since Sunday, as part of preparations for the third window of the African qualifiers, scheduled in Angola from July 2–5, 2026.

Qatar has already delivered notable performances in the Asian and Oceanian qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup – Qatar 2027. The team opened with a narrow 74–75 loss to Lebanon in Doha, then secured a historic 86–83 away victory in Beirut, followed by a commanding 99–73 win over India in Doha. These results underline Qatar’s growing competitiveness and strengthen its chances of advancing further in the qualifiers.

The upcoming stage is critical, beginning with a decisive clash against Saudi Arabia on June 29 at Al Gharafa Sports Hall in Doha (a rescheduled fixture from the second window). Qatar will then travel to Ahmedabad, India, to face the hosts on July 2, before meeting Saudi Arabia again in Jeddah on July 5.

Group D remains fiercely competitive, with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon tied at five points each, while India sits fourth with three points. Every match ahead is pivotal in the race for qualification.