World Cup 2027 Americas Qualifiers: Canada cruises past Bahamas

Canada's journey toward qualifying for the 2027 men's FIBA World Cup has gotten off to a strong start. The red and white cruised past the host Bahamas 111-75 in their first game of group play in the Americas qualifiers bracket on Friday. Kyle Wiltjer (207-F/C-1992, college: Gonzaga) led the drubbing with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting and six rebounds in 20 minutes of play. All five of Canada's starters finished in double figures for scoring, with Charles Bediako (213-C-2002, college: Alabama) chipping in 14 points on perfect 7-of-7 shooting to go with four rebounds and two blocks. Meanwhile, Jahvon Henry-Blair (193-G-1998, college: Georgetown) did his damage off the bench as he scored 16 points with a game-high four made threes on a 57-per-cent clip. It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Canadians as they dominated practically all facets of the game, outshooting the Bahamas from every area of the floor — especially from beyond the arc. Canada drilled 16-of-32 (50 per cent) threes, while the Bahamas went 9-of-29. Dominick Bridgewater (178-PG-2000) and former NBAer Kai Jones (211-C/F-2001, college: Texas) led the losing squad with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Canada is now 1-0 and leads Group B, which includes Jamaica (1-0), Puerto Rico (0-1) and the Bahamas (0-1). Canada and the Bahamas meet again Monday at Toronto's Mattamy Athletic Centre. There are 16 teams split into four groups for the first round of the Americas qualifiers, of which the top 12 teams (the top three from each group) will advance to the second round of qualifying action. Round 1 takes place over three windows from November 2025 to July 2026. The top 12 teams will then compete to decide the seven Americas teams that will ultimately qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar as part of a 32-team pool comprised of four regions (Africa, Americas, Asia/Oceana and Europe). Canada's last appearance in the FIBA men's World Cup was its best showing, knocking off the United States to capture the country's first bronze medal in the tournament in 2023.
Courtesy of: sportsnet.ca