Basketball squad hosts Palestine in Asia Cup qualifiers

AMMAN — Jordan hosts Palestine on Friday in qualifiers for the 31st FIBA Asia Cup 2025 before heading to Saudi Arabia to play its host on February 26 in Group D which also includes Iraq.

A total of 24 teams are playing Round 1 qualification matches for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in three windows in February and November 2024 and February 2025. Meanwhile, teams will also battle for qualifyingspots for 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup alongside hosts Qatar who automatically qualified. The top two teams of each group qualify for the final tournament and the six third-placed teams will play another qualifying tournament for the final four places.

The last year was an impressive one for Jordan as it finished second at the Asian Games and played at the 2023 World Cup. However, the basketball scene has since had its worst season in the past few months, with the Jordan Basketball Association canceling the league, and teams having had to sit out the season with no competitions.

Jordan’s squad just returned from a friendly tourney in Qatar where the team lost to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Central African Republic as the lineup missed Ahmad Duweiri and Ronday Jefferson. Results drew critiscm from observers and fans as the squad tries to balance advancing at upcoming events and gradually revamping the team.

Jordan previously qualified to the FIBA Asia Cup (previously FIBA Asia Championship) 16 times with itsbest performance finishing runner-up in 2011, when it reached the final for the first time, but lost the chance of qualifying to the 2012 Olympic Games after losing to China in the final 70-69. 

In 2023, Jordan won a historic silver medal after they reached the final of the Asian Games thus securing the first ever team sports medal at the Games. The Kingdom’s previous best finish was 4th in 1986 and 2006. 

Last summer, Jordan also played at the FIBA World Cup for the third time, where they finished 32nd and last despite some hard effort by a lineup playing an elite group of the best nations in the game.