By the way! Thank you, NBA! The Chinese men's basketball team is about to make its debut in the World Cup qualifiers.

For the development of Chinese basketball, both players and coaches are going abroad.

Between September 20 and October 3 this year, Chinese men's basketball head coach Guo Shiqiang participated in a 13-day learning exchange with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, where he had the chance to closely observe training sessions and engage in discussions with their head coach and management team.

As the highest basketball institution worldwide, the NBA holds the best and most advanced basketball philosophies globally. Guo Shiqiang’s direct exposure to this will greatly benefit his future coaching of the Chinese men's team and help elevate the national squad to a higher level.

Notably, during his time in the U.S., Guo Shiqiang also made a special visit to see Yang Hansen of the Portland Trail Blazers, as well as Wang Junjie and Zhao Weilen from the University of San Francisco.

At this year’s Asia Cup, despite low expectations and an incomplete roster, Guo Shiqiang led the Chinese men’s team to fight fiercely, narrowly losing by one point to the powerful Australian team in the final seconds, reigniting public confidence in the national team and elevating his own prestige and status to new heights.

Currently, Guo Shiqiang is scouting players at the National Games, assembling a new training squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against South Korea, scheduled for November 28 (home) and December 1 (away). These qualifiers determine the spots for the 2027 Qatar World Cup, and the Chinese team will undoubtedly give their all, as missing the World Cup would dash any hopes for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Of course, players competing overseas mentioned earlier cannot participate in the qualifiers due to scheduling conflicts, so Guo Shiqiang must rely entirely on domestic players, which is sufficient. As long as Zhao Rui, Hu Mingxuan, Hu Jinqiu, Zhou Qi, Zhao Jiwei, Zhang Zhenlin, and others remain healthy, they will all be called up, roughly forming a roster similar to this year’s Asia Cup squad.

As for Guo Shiqiang’s favored protégé Cui Yongxi, he has yet to fully recover from a left knee ACL tear. Although he was selected for Guangdong’s U22 National Games basketball roster, it is uncertain whether he can compete, so he is unlikely to participate in this year’s World Cup qualifiers.

The South Korean men's basketball team has already announced their 12-man roster for the matches against China, led by their star player Lee Hyun-jung, who stands 2.06 meters tall. The two teams will meet again following their quarterfinal encounter at this year’s Asia Cup, as follows: