The Egyptian basketball team lost to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the final match of Group Two during the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
Egypt suffered a 75-77 defeat against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the concluding game of the fourth window for Group Two of the qualifiers for the 2027 Qatar FIBA World Cup.
This loss has placed the Egyptian national team in a difficult position on their path to qualifying for the 2027 Qatar World Cup.
As a result of this defeat, Egypt now has 13 points and sits in fifth place in the standings, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo has 12 points.
Egypt trailed the Democratic Republic of the Congo 18-22 in the first quarter, before the Pharaohs' players woke up in the second quarter to lead 21-20. However, this did not secure an overall lead for Egypt, as the first half ended with the DR Congo ahead 42-39.
The DR Congo regained their advantage in the match and won the third quarter 18-14, making the total score 60-53 in favor of the DR Congo, leaving Egypt trailing by seven points.
Ihab Amin was called for a technical foul, resulting in two free throws; he made one and missed the other with three minutes remaining in the game, bringing the score to 73-63.
Egypt reduced the deficit to two points, making the score 73-71, with one minute and 16 seconds left in the game.
Egypt tied the game at 75-75 thanks to a basket by Ihab Amin with 24 seconds remaining.
The DR Congo took the lead again with an offensive rebound under the basket six seconds before the end of the game, making the score 77-75.
Egypt had opportunities to tie the game again, but their final possession did not result in a score, ending the match 77-75 in favor of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The group standings are as follows:
Côte d'Ivoire is first with 15 points
Senegal is second with 14 points
Mali is third with 14 points
Angola is fourth with 13 points
Egypt is fifth with 13 points
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 12 points
Qualification Rules
Five teams from Africa will qualify for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar. The top two teams from each group participating in the final stage of the World Cup qualifiers will advance.
Additionally, the team with the best record among the third-place finishers in Groups One and Two will qualify as the fifth African representative for the 2027 Qatar World Cup.
