The Lebanese men's basketball team has departed for Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) to play three friendly matches as part of the team's preparations for the World Cup, which will be held in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Japan from August 25 to September 10. The Lebanese team will compete in three friendly games in Abu Dhabi against the Egyptian team on Thursday, August 17, the Mexican team on Friday, August 18, and the University of Kansas on Saturday, August 19. After these matches, the team will head to Indonesia for the World Cup.
The Lebanese team played a preparatory friendly match yesterday, Tuesday, at the Nihad Nwfal Stadium (Zouk Mikael), against the Ivory Coast team in front of a large crowd, including many members of the Lebanese army. The match resulted in a win for the visiting team (77-67). The quarter results were as follows: (16-11), (36-32), (62-47), (77-67). The top scorer of the match was Wael Arakji (20 points). The game was officiated by a team of Lebanese international referees consisting of Rabah Najim, Ziad Tanous, and Adel Khoury.
It is worth mentioning that the Lebanese team will play its World Cup matches in Jakarta (Indonesia) as part of Group 8, facing Latvia on August 25, Canada on August 27, and France on August 29 in the first round.
