Beirut, Nov 25 (IANS): Basketball's global governing body FIBA has confirmed the schedule for the upcoming window of FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers.
Taking place between November 27 and 30, the games will be played in mini-tournament formats in Bahrain and Doha in order to ensure the health and safety of all participants.
Games of Groups A and D will be played in Bahrain, while Group E games will be played in Doha, Qatar. Games of Groups B, C and F will not be played during this November window.
The next and final window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers will take place from 18 to 22 February, 2021. The top two teams in each of the six groups at the end of the qualifiers will qualify directly for the tournament.
The third-placed teams in each group will then proceed to play in a separate tournament to determine the remaining four sides that will complete the 16-team Asia Cup field.
"The decision to play both the November and February windows in bubbles, instead of home and away games, was taken by the FIBA Executive Committee in September. FIBA will continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation and communicate any further updates regarding its competitions if necessary," said the sport's governing body.
