Lusail: Qatar's national basketball team defeated its Saudi counterpart with a score of 82-78 in a match held at Lusail Multipurpose Hall on Monday, marking the opening of the 2025 International (Friendly) Basketball Tournament, which will run until August 1.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Qatari team secured the win after a tough match, delivering a strong performance and achieving their first victory at the start of the tournament. The first quarter ended in a tie between Qatar and Saudi Arabia (24-24), before the Qatari team took the lead in the second quarter (21-20), maintained it in the third (19-18), and solidified their control in the fourth quarter, winning it (18-16).

Four Asian teams are participating in this tournament: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Iraq. The tournament will resume on Wednesday, when Qatar face Japan, followed by a match between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. On Friday, Saudi Arabia will play Japan, with the tournament concluding on the same day with a match between Qatar and Iraq.

Team Qatar are competing under the leadership of Turkish coach Hakan Demir, with the objective of enhancing the team's technical and physical readiness ahead of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, to feature 16 competing teams and to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from August 5 to 17.