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The 2023 FIBA World Cup is four months away and teams now know who they will face in their opening rounds.
The 2023 FIBA World Cup will be the 19th edition of the event, and the second time 32 teams will participate. This year's classic will run from August 25- September 11, with games in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. Five venues will host the contests in the host countries, including three in the Philippines.
Japan and the Philippines are among the eight Asian teams that will participate in the World Cup this summer. While the two countries earned automatic berths, Indonesia didn't qualify as they failed to make it to the quarterfinals of the region's tournament.
In addition to the Asia-Oceania squads, five teams from Asia, seven from the Americas, and 12 from Europe will partake in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Spain is the defending World Cup champion. Argentina, who didn't qualify in 2023, took silver in 2019, while France edged out Australia for bronze.
The 2023 FIBA World Cup
The format for the 2023 event will be similar to the one used in 2019, with three phases - the group, the second round, and the final phase.
In the group stage, the 32 qualified teams will be sorted into eight groups of four (A–H), where every team in a group will play each other once. The top two teams from each group will then advance to the second round. The bottom two teams will then play two classification games to determine the 17th to 32nd rankings.
In the second round, there will be four groups (I–L) of four made up of the teams that advanced from the first round, again playing each other. The top two teams from groups I to L will qualify for the final phase. The teams that lost in the quarterfinals will then play classification games to determine the 5th to 8th rankings.
The 2023 FiBA World Cup Draw took place on April 28.
2023 FIBA World Cup group pairings
Group A: Angola, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Italy
Italy is Group A's top-ranked team at No. 10 in the FIBA World Rankings. The Italians qualified for their second straight World Cup.
Angola is making its fifth straight World Cup, finishing 27th in 2019, while the Dominican Republic is in the World Cup for the third consecutive time. Meanwhile, the 2023 FIBA World Cup is the Philippines' first appearance in the event since 1956.
Group B: South Sudan, Serbia, China, Puerto Rico
Serbia, a two-time gold World Cup gold medalist, is the top-ranked team in Group B at No. 6 and finished in the top 5 in the last three events.
Puerto Rico is in the event for the ninth straight time, although they have not finished higher than 15th in the last four WCs. China is making its second consecutive World Cup appearance, while South Sudan, the second-lowest-ranked team in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, is making its first appearance.
Group C: United States, Jordan, Greece, New Zealand
Team USA is ranked No. 2 globally and will look to avenge its seventh-place finish in 2019. Greece, ranked ninth globally, is making its fourth straight event. Jordan, which is 0-8 in the event, is making its second consecutive World Cup finish and third overall and New Zealand is in the World Cup for the sixth consecutive time.
Group D: Egypt, Mexico, Montenegro, Lithuania
Lithuania is the highest-ranked Group D team in the 2023 FIBA World Cup at No. 8 in the World. Montenegro is making its second appearance in the event, while Egypt and Mexico return after missing the 2019 edition.
Group E: Germany, Finland, Australia, Japan
No. 3 Australia, which reached the semi-finals in 2019, is the top-ranked team in Group E. The Australians have won at least two games in the last four events. The 2023 FIBA World Cup is Germany's second straight appearance. Finland is participating in the World Cup for the second time, while Japan is in the event for the sixth time.
Group F: Slovenia, Cape Verde, Venezuela
Slovenia, No. 7 in the world, may have the most accessible road to the second. The team is back at the WC after not qualifying in 2019.
Cape Verde is the lowest-ranked team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup at No. 64 in the country. This will be Cape Verde and Georgia's first WC appearance. Venezuela is making its second consecutive appearance in the event.
Group G: Iran, Spain, Ivory Coast, Brazil
Spain enters the 2023 FIBA World Cup as the No. 1 ranked team. The Spaniards are making their 11th straight appearance.
Iran, which hasn't finished higher than No. 20, is making its fourth straight WC appearance. Ivory Coast is making its second straight appearance and third this century. Brazil and the United States are the only teams to participate in every WC.
Group H: Canada, Lativa, Canada, France
France, ranked fifth in the world, has finished third in the past two World Cups. Canada, which has never finished higher than seventh in the event, is making its second straight appearance. Latvia is making its first-ever World Cup appearance, while Lebanon is back in the event for the first time since 2010.
Warm-up Tournaments
Before the 2023 FIBA World Cup, most of the participating teams will participate in some warm-up tourneys.
Aegean Acropolis Tournament
The 32nd Aegean Acropolis Tournament is a triangular affair, with Greece hosting Italy and Serbia from August 8-10.
Basketball SuperCup
Germany hosts Canada, China, and New Zealand in Hamburg on August 12 and 13.
France Summer Tour
France will face Tunisia, Argentina, Lithuania, Montenegro, and Venezuela in July and August.
Spain Tournaments
Spain will participate in two tournaments. The first tournament is in Málaga from 11 to August 13 and will feature the United States and Slovenia, while the second tournament in Granada from 17 to August 19 will feature Argentina and Canada.
USA Basketball Showcase in Abu Dhabi
The US will face Germany and Greece on August 18 and 20 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Other games
Exhibition games are expected to take place as warm-ups for the World Cup. Slovenia and Greece will play in two games on August 2 and 4 in Ljubljana and Athens, respectively. Spain and Venezuela will also play a friendly game on August 4 in Madrid.
