Qatari U-23 3×3 Basketball Team begin World Cup campaign with two defeats
BEIJING: The Qatari U-23 3×3 Basketball Team endured a tough start at the 3×3 Basketball World Cup in Xiong’an, China, suffering back-to-back losses in the group stage on Tuesday.
Qatar fell 15-21 to the United States in their opening clash before narrowly losing 18-21 to hosts China later in the day. Placed in a challenging group alongside Latvia and Fiji, the team faces an uphill battle to secure one of the two available quarterfinal spots.
The Qatari delegation is led by Saadoun Sabah Al Kuwari, Secretary General of the Qatar Basketball Federation and Director of National Teams, alongside Captain Yassin Ismail. The squad includes players Mohammed Bashir, Mahmoud Darwish, Mubarak Jama, and Mustafa Ndaw.
Qatar will resume group action on September 20, facing Latvia and Fiji in matches that could define their tournament hopes. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stages.
The team earned qualification for the World Cup after an impressive run in the 2025 3×3 Youth Nations League, where they clinched the third and sixth stage titles in Doha, amassing 520 points to book their spot.(QNA)
