Haddadi, Norwood to Headline FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers Draw
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Two icons will headline the much-awaited FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers Draw on Tuesday at the Ezdan Palace Hotel in Doha, Qatar.
Hamed Haddadi and Gabe Norwood will serve as special guests of the event and will help carry out the draw.
The revered figures have gone into countless battles against one another, none more important than the FIBA Asia Cup 2013 where Iran beat the Philippines in the Final before a raucous Filipino crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay to win their third gold medal.
Still, there's that mutual respect and admiration between the two, and the Draw would be another opportunity to link up as they help usher a new cycle of the continental meet.
Together, they will help the 24 participating teams learn their respective groupings and opponents for the Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, whose first window will be played on February 2024.
Sixteen teams that took part in the previous Asia Cup will see action in the Qualifiers, namely Australia, Lebanon, New Zealand, Jordan, Iran, South Korea, Japan, China, the Philippines, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Syria, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, and India.
Palestine, Iraq, Qatar, UAE, Guam, Thailand, Mongolia, and Hong Kong completed the cast following successful runs in the Pre-Qualifiers, which ran from June 2022 to February 2023.
