The South Korean men’s national basketball team, led by head coach Ahn Joon Ho, is heading to Southeast Asia to compete for direct qualification to the FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
The team will face Thailand in Bangkok on Thursday at 9:00 p.m. and Indonesia in Jakarta on Sunday at 7:00 p.m., playing their fifth and sixth Group A matches in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers.
Scheduled for August, the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 is the premier basketball tournament for teams from Asia and Oceania. It features 16 teams, with Saudi Arabia as the host nation.
The qualifying round consists of six groups playing in a home-and-away round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will secure direct entry to the finals, while the six third-placed teams will compete in a final qualifying round for the remaining four spots.
Currently, South Korea is ranked second in Group A with a 2-2 record (6 points), trailing Australia (4-0, 8 points). Thailand (2-2, 6 points) sits in third place, while Indonesia (0-4, 4 points) is in fourth.
With Australia having already clinched at least a second-place finish and a spot in the finals, South Korea’s fate hinges on their performance in these two away games.
South Korea lost both games against Australia but secured victories at home against Thailand and Indonesia.
In the FIBA world rankings, South Korea is ranked 54th, higher than Indonesia (75th) and Thailand (89th).
However, South Korea struggled against Indonesia in November 2024, trailing until the middle of the fourth quarter before securing a hard-fought eight-point victory. Playing away from home this time presents additional challenges, requiring full concentration.
South Korea’s primary focus is the match against Thailand. If they win, they will secure second place in Group A and direct qualification, regardless of the outcome against Indonesia.
In the Asia Cup qualifiers, head-to-head results are the tiebreaker for teams with equal points. If South Korea can defeat Thailand again, following their 96-62 rout in February last year, they’ll secure the head-to-head record.
This means that even if South Korea beats Thailand but falls to Indonesia, or if Thailand pulls off an upset against Australia in their final qualifier, South Korea would still claim second place based on their superior head-to-head record, should both teams end up with identical 3-3 records.
For this crucial two-game trip, head coach Ahn Joon Ho has called up key players, including Lee Seung Hyun (KCC), Lee Woo Seok (Hyundai Mobis), Yang Hong Seok (Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps), and Ha Yoon Ki (KT). New additions to the squad include Yang Joon Seok (LG) and Lee Geun Hwi (KCC), making their first national team appearances. Additionally, basketball brothers Moon Jeong Hyeon (KT) and Moon Yu Hyeon (Korea University) have also been selected together.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun Jung of the Illawarra Hawks, who played for the national team in November 2024, could not join due to club commitments.