While Qatar will host a new World Cup in 2027, one dedicated to basketball, an overview of the players, clubs and competitions that contribute to the growth of this sport in the country.
Supporting and nurturing young talents is one of the ways the Qatar Basketball Federation hopes to produce future champions. We meet some of the young prospects of the Qatar junior team who are working tirelessly for the chance to represent their country at the FIBA World Cup 2027.
But before that, they are participating in the FIBA Asian Under-16 Championship, hosted in Qatar. For most of them, this is the first time they are competing in an international competition.
“We have set up a program for the region with the aim of developing the next generation of first team players, same for the under-18s,” explains Stavros Mykoniatis, coach of the Qatar national under-16 team. “In our opinion, this is a very good opportunity for young people to benefit from this experience for the future,” he says, referring to the Asian Championship for his players’ age group.
Playing against some of the best teams in Asia, such as Iran and Australia, there are bound to be wins and losses and the coach and his team ensure that the boys understand that this is part of the game.
“We try to act on the feeling because basketball and the match provide emotions that can change very quickly, just like the position of the ball, but also to find something that helps them to play better, to play in a more intense,” underlines their coach.
Mohamed Massamba Ndao, captain of the Qatar under-16 team: “The goal is to be the best”
Currently, the spotlight is on 15-year-old point guard Abdulla Yasin Mousa and team captain Mohamed Massamba Ndao, both of whom are being tipped as Qatar’s next basketball superstars.
Off the field, Mohamed leads by example. Whether he wins or loses, he remains motivated to improve his game.“I am never satisfied, if I feel that I can do better, I will not let myself be impressed, I will continue to work, to move forward,” he assures.
The hope is that all this hard work will culminate on the world stage in 2027, when Qatar hosts the FIBA World Cup. By then, Mohamed and Abdulla will certainly be at their best to represent Qatar again, at home. “The goal is to be the best and to do that, you always have to give 100%,” says Mohamed. “I work hard every chance I get and this is maybe the biggest competition in the world, so I work very hard for it,” he said, determined.
Mohamed Hassan aka “Mizo”, happy with the growth of his sport in his country
To find out what it’s like to wear the Qatar jersey from a young age, there’s no better person to talk to than a man who has taken that path himself. We meet Mohamed Hassan, better known as “Mizo”, who plays guard at Al Shamal Sports Club, to get his thoughts on what it takes to reach the highest level of professional basketball and on the prospects of this sport in Qatar.
“I started when I was four years old, my father was a coach and former basketball player, he was the one who taught me how to play and made me become what I am,” he specifies.
He goes on to explain the importance of his role model, Kobe Bryant. “He was the Michael Jordan of my era, I was born in 1991 and watching him take on Allen Iverson was a must-see at the time,” he says.
We ask him about his career. “I started playing in the national team very young, at the age of 15,” says Mohamed Hassan alias Mizo. “I was happy to represent the Qatar national team at the FIBA Asian Championship, I started by shooting the first free throws against the Philippines national team in 2010, I was there when we finished third in Asia against Japan, I scored the buzzer beater in 2012 and in 2019 I participated in the match against the Australian national team,” he describes before adding: “It was a dream for the child I was.”
On the growth of his sport in his country, he says: “I see that Qatar is investing a lot in sport and in athletes from many different disciplines. So I’m happy to see my high-level sports counterparts and friends doing what they do, practicing the sport they love and, in particular, basketball,” he confides. “This sport (basketball) has evolved a lot and developed a lot in the country,” he notes.
All eyes are on basketball
Although there are still a few years before the Basketball World Cup is hosted in Qatar, the country already organizes international competitions in this discipline. The Doha International Basketball Championship saw 8 teams from 7 countries compete. Shortly after, 14 countries were represented at the Arab Basketball Club Championship.
The Doha International Basketball Championship is in its second session. It also brings together teams from the Middle East and North Africa. For the first time, the Meralco Bolts of the Philippine Basketball Association were present.
“It’s about getting more expertise from all regions and trying to bring them together in Doha,” points out Samer Saadeh, Managing Partner of Doha Active Sports. “When it comes to Filipinos, we know their love for this sport. It’s the same thing in Lebanon. In this country, basketball is the number 1 sport. (…) We are trying to bring out this state of mind here too, and I hope we will succeed,” he indicates.
Sergio El Darwish of Lebanon, star guard of Beirut Club, believes that Qatar being awarded the hosting of the 2027 Basketball World Cup is a victory for the entire region.
“For the whole Middle East, it’s a good thing to see that Arab countries are hosting competitions of this scale and I’m very proud of it because I’m Arab too; it’s going to be exciting at the moment. future and in the next four years,” he believes.
Samer Saadeh adds: “FIFA has passed the baton to FIBA, as we like to say. All eyes are therefore on basketball, we will organize numerous tournaments and events linked to basketball, with the full support of the Federation and of the Olympic Committee,” he indicates.
For Omar Al-Ziani, basketball is his whole life. This 20-year-old young man is a playmaker for the Qatari team Al Ahli, one of the eighteen competing in the Arab Basketball Club Championship organized for the first time in Qatar. He is looking forward to the 2027 World Cup.”Words fail me, I will be able to see the greatest basketball players play before my eyes, in my hometown. What more ?” he says, smiling.