Iran, Jordan, Syria complete Group E cast with Gilas, Australia, New Zealand

Group E of the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers is now complete, with Iran, Jordan, and Syria joining Gilas Pilipinas, Australia, and New Zealand.

The three West Asian teams round out the group alongside Australia, which is assured of finishing as the top seed from Group A, followed by New Zealand and the Philippines regardless of the remaining results in the current window.

The fourth qualifying window is tentatively set to be held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena from August 27 to 31.

Iran topped Group C with a 5-1 record, finishing level with Jordan but securing the top seed via head-to-head tiebreaker.

Team Melli gained the crucial advantage after defeating Jordan, 67-49, in Amman on July 2 to open Window 3. Mehdi Heydari led Iran with 17 points, while Arsalan Kazemi added seven points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.

Jordan, meanwhile, was powered by Jalen Harris and Ahmad Al Dwairi, who finished with 18 and 17 points in the loss.

Syria clinched the final second-round spot after beating Iraq, 91-81, also in Amman. Donte McGill carried the scoring load with 27 points, playing all 40 minutes to lift the Syrians into the next phase.

To close the first round early Monday morning (Manila time), Iran defeated Syria, 73-52, while Jordan dominated Iraq, 106-67, with both games also held in Amman.

Matin Aghajanpour led Iran with 13 points and eight rebounds against Syria, with Heydari adding 12. For Jordan, Harris exploded for 28 points in just 22 minutes against Iraq, while Amin Abu Hawwas contributed 22 points in 16 minutes.

Iraq finished the first round without a win, ending at 0-6.