China vs Lebanon – Preview & Prediction (Aug. 31, 2026)

Following their silver medal and a narrow one-point loss in the final of the Asia Cup last year against Australia, China entered the World Cup qualifiers with high expectations. However, they had their backs against the wall in the initial stage following some very poor performances and only progressed to this stage in the final round after beating their main rivals Taiwan. After that shocking display in the initial qualifying stage, the public backlashed against the national team and the head coach Guo Shiqiang desperately wanting an improvement. Improvement is exactly what they got as the Chinese team stormed to a convincing 26-point victory in Saudi Arabia a few days ago (83:57). China summoned a very strong roster for this window led by their NBA sensation Yang Hansen and had no mercy against Saudi Arabia. The main reason for their excellent performance besides their NBA quality is the fact that they had a very long preparation period ahead of these qualifiers and were routinely beating all of the teams they faced in friendlies including a very potent Uruguayan side. The Chinese team is a perennial powerhouse in Asian basketball and one of the most decorated sides on the continent, so their stellar performance against the Saudis was much needed. This Monday, they are facing their biggest foe in the group besides Japan in view of Lebanon, but historically they have been better than Lebanon and should be able to carve out a victory in Zhuji with the towering presence of Yang Hansen in the paint. 

China are finally playing up to their standards in this window. They were tremendous against Saudi Arabia, exhibiting excellent team basketball, while also relying on the individual brilliance of their NBA star Yang Hansen. Lebanon are a top team in Asia that can definitely threaten them, but the hosts need a win over a big team and are playing in front of their loyal fans. 

Following a subpar performance at the previous Asia Cup, Lebanon are out for revenge in these qualifiers. They were dominant during the initial stage cruising to a 5-1 W-L record and opened this window with a big and routine victory over a very solid South Korean side at home (93:74). Even though they are missing their main domestic star Wael Arakji, who suffered a terrible injury in a local league game a few months ago, they are still boasting a star-studded roster led by their new naturalized import player DJ Funderburk. All of their main domestic pillars like Youssef Khayat, Sergio El Darwich and Hayk Gyokchyan are playing in this window and are making the difference. China will be a much more formidable opposition for them compared to South Korea, but the Cedars have enough quality and depth to make the game very tight and interesting. We doubt they actually have enough to pull off a victory on the road, but with Funderburk, their spacing and tactics have changed and are more than enough to challenge China today in Zhuji. 

In the last decade or so, Lebanon have transformed into one of the top Asian sides. They regularly push big favourites like Australia and New Zealand to the edge, so today, we should be in for a very entertaining and close affair. Lebanon might be able to pull off an upset, but we doubt it as China should prevail because of their NBA class.