Representatives of participating nations pose with their team jerseys.
Doha: Hosts Qatar will play the Philippines in their opening match of the second edition of the Doha International Friendly Basketball Championship at the Qatar University Hall today at 8.30pm.
The championship will open with Egypt playing Lebanon at 6pm.
The details were announced at a press conference yesterday. Four teams including hosts Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon and the Philippines are participating.
The championship has been organized by the Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) in collaboration with Step Ahead, with whom a three-year partnership agreement has been established.
The primary objective of the meet is to bolster preparations for the upcoming rounds of the 2025 Asian Cup qualifiers and to promote sports within Qatar, particularly as Doha gears up to host the “Road to the 2027 World Cup”.
Addressing the media were Saadoun Sabah Al Kuwari, Secretary-General of QBF, and Fouad Gerges, Founder and CEO of Step Ahead. Al Kuwari extended his best wishes to the four participating teams.
He emphasised that the championship is designed primarily for the public and is part of the preparations for the Qatari national team, which is gearing up for the third window of the qualifiers for the 2025 Asian Cup.
The Qatari national team is also scheduled to face the Kazakh national team as guests on February 21, followed by a home match against the India national team in Doha on February 24.
Al Kuwari praised the great efforts made by Step Ahead.
He noted that the concept of organizing the championship was introduced four months ago; however, the preparations, including the setup of the Qatar University Hall, were completed in approximately two weeks.
FIXTURES
Today: Egypt vs Lebanon (6pm); Qatar vs Philippines (8:30pm).
Tomorrow: Lebanon vs Philippines (6pm); Qatar vs Egypt (8:30pm).
Sunday: Qatar vs Lebanon (6pm); Egypt vs Philippines (8:30pm).
