Zhou Qi of China dribbles the ball in the game against South Korea. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

 
The Chinese national basketball team kicked off its campaign for the 2027 FIBA World Cup with a home defeat of 80-76 in Beijing to arch-rivals South Korea on Friday. 

The Chinese team, though having a late surge, was once trailing South Korea by 13 points in the first half after a string of three-pointers from South Korean player Lee Hyun-jung went unanswered. 

The deficit was once extended to 19 points in the fourth quarter, until the late surge narrowed the gap to four points.

Zhang Zhenlin contributed 20 points to the Chinese team while offering seven rebounds at the iconic Wukesong Arena, the venue for basketball events at the 2008 Olympics.

The Chinese spectators, wearing yellow shirts provided by the organizers, frequently filled the arena with deafening cheers of jiayou. 

Chinese national team head coach Guo Shiqiang also took the series as the beginning of preparations for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The Chinese team has skipped the Olympics twice since the Rio Olympics in 2016.

The Chinese team has been placed in Group B in the World Cup qualifiers alongside South Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei. The top three teams from each group will advance to the second round. 

Currently, the Chinese national team is in a transitional period, with emerging young players taking the stage after finishing the FIBA Asia Cup. 

The Chinese team, without several star players including Zhou Qi, Zeng Fanbo as well as NBA-playing Yang Hansen, made a surprising run to the final of the FIBA Asia Cup earlier this year, only to lose narrowly to Australia and settling for silver. 

En route to the Asia Cup final, the Chinese team's campaign included a critical quarterfinal victory over South Korea, when China won 79-71 to reach the semifinals. 
The Chinese team will travel to South Korea to prepare for their away game against them on Monday. 

The group-stage windows of the World Cup qualifiers are scheduled for November and December 2025 as well as February and July in 2026. 

The Chinese team's next home game has been scheduled for the beginning of July 2026 against Japan.