FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers: India grouped with Iran, Qatar and Kazakhstan

Overall, India’s road to qualify for its 11th consecutive Asian championship has become a lot harder following FIBA’s new qualification format

Last evening (i.e. September 19), the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers draw was held at the Ezdan Palace Hotel in Doha, Qatar.

The draw for the men’s competition saw India (as the South Asian representative) placed alongside West Asian powerhouse Iran, Central Asian team Kazakhstan and Gulf side Qatar.

What’s the qualification process?

24 teams across Asia and Oceania were drawn into six groups of four teams each.

Within each group, each team will face the other twice - on a home and away basis.

Thereafter, the top two teams from each group qualify directly to the FIBA Asia Cup 2025. The six third-placed teams will have to play another Final Qualifying Tournament, following which the top four will proceed to the continental championship.

What are India’s Qualification Chances?

Within India’s Group E, Iran (world rank #27) is clearly the favourite having most recently competed in the FIBA World Cup 2023. Kazakhstan follows, with a world ranking of 68, which is 13 spots higher than India, at 81. Qatar sits at the bottom at 104.

Overall, India’s road to qualify for its 11th consecutive Asian championship has become a lot harder following FIBA’s new qualification format introduced prior to the last edition. It is vital to recall that because of this new format, India barely made it to the 2022 edition of the Asia Cup, by beating Palestine 79-77 in the previous Final Qualifying Tournament.

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The opening window of games for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers will commence in February 2024.