The controversy stems from a qualifying match held in Okinawa, Japan, on Feb. 28. The China national team staged a stunning comeback, overcoming a 14-point deficit in the second quarter to secure a hard-fought victory. Following the game, FIBA posted a photo on X with the caption: “Drama in Okinawa. China with a sneaky win over Japan.”
The use of the word “sneaky” angered many Chinese fans, who flooded the comments section with criticism, the South China Morning Post reported.
One top comment wrote: “Who are you calling sneaky? You should know yourself better.”
“This was not a sneaky win, China earned it fair and square,” another wrote.
China overcome the 7-point deficit to complete the comeback win against Taiwan in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers on March 2, 2026. Photo by Instagram/@fiba |
The backlash was further fueled by fan frustration over officiating decisions during the game. Supporters pointed out that China were called for eight fouls in the final five minutes compared to just two for Japan. Key guard Zhao Rui had to leave the court after committing five individual fouls.
In response to criticism, FIBA initially edited the caption to “Drama in Okinawa. China turn things around in the second half and get the W against Japan.”
However, this correction was not enough to turn down the heat, and the incident has remained a top trending topic on Chinese social media since March 1.
On the same day, FIBA issued a formal statement addressing the China national team, fans, and the basketball community. The organization acknowledged that the language used in the post about the match results was inappropriate and affirmed that China’s victory was built on talent, effort, and determination.
FIBA confirmed it had removed or edited all related posts across its platforms and wished China luck in the remainder of the qualification campaign.
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A screenshot of FIBA’s conversial post on X about China’s comeback victory against Japan in a 2027 Basketball World Cup qualifier. |
The 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asia-Oceania qualifiers, which determine the region’s representatives for the finals in Qatar, began in November 2025 and are scheduled to conclude in March 2027. The region has eight total spots, with seven determined through qualifiers plus the host nation, Qatar.
The qualification process is divided into two stages. In the first round, 16 teams are split into four groups, playing a home-and-away round-robin format. The top three teams from each group advance to the second round. Notably, in the group containing Qatar, only two other teams will advance since the hosts have already secured their berth.
The second round will feature 12 teams divided into two groups of six. Teams carry over their records against the opponents who also advanced from the first round. They will then play home-and-away matches against the three new teams in their group. Ultimately, the top three teams from each second-round group, along with the best-performing fourth-placed team, will join Qatar at the 2027 World Cup.
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