TORONTO — Canada Basketball announced Monday that Nathaniel Mitchell will return as head coach of Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team for the opening window of the FIBA Men’s World Cup 2027 Qualifiers.

Canada will face the Bahamas on Nov. 28 in Nassau (8:40 p.m. ET) before hosting the second game of the window on Dec. 1 at Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto (7:10 p.m. ET). The game will stream in Canada on TSN+ and internationally on Courtside1891.

Tickets for the Dec. 1 game are currently on sale at ticketmaster.ca.

Mitchell, who led Canada to a fourth-place finish at the 2025 FIBA Men’s AmeriCup, also served as an assistant coach at both the 2023 FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup - where Canada captured a historic bronze - and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He continues to coach with the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association.

“I’m truly grateful and honoured for another opportunity to represent our country,” Mitchell said. “Going into this next quad under the leadership and guidance of Gordie Herbert, who is the overall head coach, our expectations are obviously to continue growing and to win. Qualifying for the World Cup is the most important thing, and in order to do that we have to compete and win every game we play. So the next game is the most important one, and right now we’re focused on the Bahamas, in the Bahamas.”

Joining Mitchell on the bench are assistant coaches JD Jackson, Hanno Möttölä, and Phil Jevtovic.

“We’re really excited about our staff and the wealth of knowledge they bring to the FIBA game. We have JD Jackson, who has been part of our teams in the past as an assistant coach and as a player, and he’s coached in Europe for a long time. Hanno Möttölä also brings great experience and success, both culturally and as a player. And we’re excited to bring back Phil Jevtovic, with his knowledge in coaching, analytics, and everything he brings to the table.”

Jackson, a Burnaby, B.C., native, returns to Canada’s staff while continuing to coach in the French professional league. A former national team athlete at the 1990 and 1994 FIBA World Cups, he previously served as a senior team assistant coach in 2021, and is a member of the British Columbia Basketball Hall of Fame.

Möttölä, a longtime member of Finland’s national team as both a player and coach and a 2000 NBA draft pick, competed in multiple EuroBasket tournaments and the 2014 FIBA World Cup. He brings extensive European experience and most recently served as an assistant coach with Finland from 2019 to 2025.

Jevtovic, who also serves as Assistant General Manager for Canada’s 3x3 Men’s National Team, was part of the senior men’s coaching staff at both the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He continues in an expanded performance role, specializing in video, scouting and analytics.

The opening window marks the start of a six-window, 15-month qualification process used across all four FIBA regions. Canada begins the cycle following its most successful men’s World Cup showing, finishing third in 2023 after defeating the United States in the bronze-medal game in Manila.

Canada’s training camp roster for this window will be announced Tuesday, Nov. 25.

For more information on the competition format and schedule, visit FIBA.basketball.