Panama Aims for World Cup Basketball Qualification

The Panama national basketball team is embarking on a new qualifying campaign with the ambitious goal of reaching the World Cup. Team coach, Argentine Gonzalo García, stated, "We are starting a new dream, which is to try to qualify for the World Cup, a very interesting objective for us." Point guard Trevor Gaskins added that the team must focus on the details to beat Uruguay both at home and away. "We know them, and they know us, so we have to get the little details right to win this match at home and away as visitors," Gaskins said, expressing his excitement about the possibility of reaching the 2027 Basketball World Cup in Qatar. García believes they can make a strong showing against Uruguay, emphasizing that he doesn't focus on predictions but rather on the first match at home, especially with players in great form. Historically, Uruguay and Panama have faced each other 16 times in qualifiers since 1970, with each team winning 8 games. Panama is seeded in Group D for the World Cup qualifiers, alongside Uruguay, Cuba, and Argentina. García admitted that Uruguay is a direct rival to Panama's ambitions. "It's a group where all rivals are important, and the top three teams advance from each group," he explained. García also lamented the absence of Ernesto Mauro Oglivie, who will not be with Panama due to his club's permission, and Iverson Molinar, who is out with an injury. Panama is gradually preparing for the first window of the qualifiers for the 2027 Basketball World Cup in Qatar, where they will debut against Uruguay in Group D this Thursday at the Roberto Durán Arena. "Starting with the right foot would be ideal, but we have to play the games. We have everything, so there are no excuses, we have to give it our all," Gaskins concluded.