FIBA confident of unrivalled fan experience in Qatar

Watching games at the FIBA World Cup 2027 in Qatar will be a dream come true for a basketball fan, a top official said on Tuesday.
Speaking with the media following an inspection trip to Qatar, FIBA secretary-general Andreas Zagklis said fan experience in Doha will be unrivalled.
Almost two months ago, Qatar were awarded the hosting rights of the FIBA World Cup 2027 following a historic vote conducted by the body’s Central Board in Manila, the Philippines.
In making their decision to award Qatar the hosting rights of the World Cup in 2027, FIBA’s Central Board were impressed by the bid and particularly the elements around the compact geographical nature, unique flexibility with tournament venue scheduling to better serve the fans, as well as an emphasis on sustainability.
“After the World Cup edition in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia this year, Qatar 2027 will be an entirely different proposition for our fans,” Zagklis said yesterday at the iconic 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic Sports Museum.
“We are coming to a city where fans will have extraordinary accessibility. There are flights from all corners of the globe landing in Qatar. All 32 teams will be housed in the same city. This will be the dream for every basketball fan to wake up every morning and watch several games in a day and see some of the world’s best players in action,” he added. “You can easily have access to all the venues in one day,” he said.
“There are four venues - Lusail Multipurpose Complex where the final will be played, Duhail Indoor Hall, Aspire Dome and Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena. We wanted four venues and we got those four. Qatar will have an observer delegation at the World Cup this year. We expect a Qatari delegation in Manila with their cameras, their notepads (smiles),” he added.
“Asia is a huge continent that is diverse. It is a continent that has a huge population. We are coming to the Mena region for the first time. We have a federation that is excited whereas the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) is massively supportive to make the FIBA World Cup a success,” Zagklis said.
FIBA president Hamane Niang yesterday expressed his gratitude to the Qatari government for the warm welcome and expressed his excitement in the build-up to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 in Qatar.
“We are very happy to come to the Gulf region for the first time. We have had a very good reception from the government and the people of Qatar. We are grateful for their support and look forward to working with them to deliver a world-class tournament,” Niang said.
“We are pleased to be here in Qatar. We have been eager to start planning for the tournament since we were awarded the hosting rights in April. We are confident that we can deliver a great event that will be enjoyed by fans from all over the world.”
The FIBA delegation yesterday met with Qatar Olympic Committee President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani and the Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) president Mohamed Saad al-mughaiseeb to discuss the preparations for the tournament.
They also visited the Aspire Zone, which will be one of the venues for the tournament.
“We were very impressed with the facilities at Aspire Zone. They are world-class and will be a great asset to the tournament,” Niang said.
The FIBA officials met with the Qatar national team players and the U-14 squad. They were impressed with the talent of the players and the progress that they have made.
Zagklis said: “We are confident that Qatar will have a strong team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027. The players here have a lot of potential and we are excited to see them develop in the years to come.”
The FIBA official said that they are committed to working with the Qatari government and the QBF to deliver a successful tournament. “We are here to put the wheels in motion,” Niang said. “We are ready to work hard and make this tournament a success.”