Manama: The Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) participated today in the main session of the FIBA Congress, hosted by Bahrain, with the participation of representatives from 180 national federations from across the world.
President of QBF and Director General of the Organizing Committee of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027, Mohammed Saad Al Meghaiseeb, headed the QBF delegation, which also included Secretary General of the QBF Saadoun Sabah Al Kuwari, and Director of Strategic Planning at the FIBA World Cup Organizing Committee Fahad Jum.
During the main session, HE President of the FIBA Sheikh Saud bin Ali Al-Thani stressed the importance of the Congress as a strategic platform for shaping the future of the game globally, emphasizing the need to unify efforts to push basketball towards new horizons.
For his part, FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis reviewed current challenges facing the game globally, pointing to future plans aimed at developing the game, empowering national federations, and expanding the reach of FIBA around the world.
The FIBA Central Board reviewed reports on preparations for the 2026 Women's World Cup in Germany and the 2027 Men's World Cup in Qatar, and approved the bidding process for the next two World Cups. The bidding process for the 2030 Women's World Cup will begin in the third quarter of 2025, with the possibility of awarding the hosting rights as early as December 2025. The bidding process for the 2031 Men's World Cup will begin in the fourth quarter of this year, with the possibility of awarding the hosting rights as early as next year.
Commenting on the event, President of QBF and Director General of the Organizing Committee of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027, Mohammed Saad Al Meghaiseeb considered this event an essential platform for exchanging expertise and strengthening cooperation between national basketball federations. He added that the Kingdom of Bahrain's hosting of this congress confirms its advanced position as a global sports destination and places Qatar in a leading position in preparation for the 2027 World Cup, as everyone strives to advance the development of the game in the region and enhance its presence in all sporting events.
He emphasized that all delegations participating in the Congress commended Qatar's organization of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027 Qualifiers Draw, which took place a few days ago in Doha.