Qatar to host men’s basketball World Cup in 2027

April 29 (Reuters) – Qatar will host the 2027 edition of the men’s FIBA Basketball World Cup, the sport’s governing body announced, the Middle Eastern nation securing another major sporting event after it hosted soccer’s showpiece last year.

All games in the 32-team event will be held in the capital city of Doha. The 89th-ranked Qatar team will qualify for the tournament as hosts. They last played in the tournament in 2006, losing all five of their matches.

“Qatar’s capital city, Doha, has direct flights from most of the potential participating countries, while the recently upgraded subway and public transportation network connects all venues, providing a top-class service for all visitors,” FIBA said in a statement on Friday.

“Additionally, all venues to be used for FIBA’s flagship men’s event are already constructed, while widely used green technologies will help in delivering the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 as a carbon-neutral event.”

Qatar faced intense criticism in the build-up to last year’s soccer World Cup for its treatment of foreign workers, a ban on homosexuality and curbs on political expression.

This year’s basketball World Cup will be co-hosted by the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia and will run from Aug. 25-Sept. 10.

Berlin, Germany will host the women’s tournament in 2026, which will feature an expanded field of 16 teams, FIBA added.

The 2022 edition was held in Australia and was contested by 12 teams, with the United States claiming a record-extending 11th title.

(This story has been refiled to fix a typo in paragraph 1)

Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Lincoln Feast

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