All You Need to Know About FIBA 2023 Basketball World Cup

The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup is all set to make history as the 19th edition of the prestigious tournament for men’s national basketball teams. Unlike its predecessors, this edition will be a remarkable event as it boasts the participation of 32 teams and will be jointly hosted by three nations. The Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia have been granted the privilege to host this esteemed competition, which is scheduled to take place from 25 August to 10 September 2023. Notably, this will be the first time that Indonesia will be hosting the World Cup, while the Philippines and Japan will proudly be hosting it for the second time, having previously held the event in 1978 and 2006, respectively.

An interesting aspect of the upcoming World Cup is that, for the first time in its history, a host nation has not qualified for the tournament. This fact adds an intriguing dynamic to the competition, as it puts the host countries in a unique position, allowing them to showcase their passion for basketball without the privilege of automatic participation.

The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup carries immense importance as it doubles as a qualification tournament for the highly anticipated 2024 Summer Olympics. The stakes are high as the top two teams from both the Americas and Europe, along with the leading teams from Africa, Asia, and Oceania, will earn coveted spots to compete in the prestigious Summer Games. This unique qualification opportunity adds level of intensity and competitiveness to the World Cup, as teams will not only be striving for the honor of becoming world champions but also for the privilege of representing their nations on the global stage of the Olympics.

Spain, the reigning champions, will be entering the tournament as the defending titleholders, having emerged victorious in the 2019 final against Argentina. Their journey to the top was a testament to their skill, teamwork, and dedication to the sport. As they take the court once again, they will face formidable challenges from other basketball powerhouses, all vying for the prestigious title and the opportunity to claim Olympic qualification.

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2023 FIBA World Cup – Status of Countries:

Qualified Teams:

The 2023 FIBA World Cup will see an exciting mix of qualified teams from different regions:

Europe: Finland and Ivory Coast secured their spots on 28 August 2022.
Asia: New Zealand earned qualification as the first team outside of hosts Japan and the Philippines, the day after the European qualifiers.
Americas: Canada became the first team from the region to book their place on 10 November 2022.
Returning Teams: Slovenia, Egypt, and Mexico are making a comeback to the World Cup after missing the 2019 tournament.

Lebanon: After their last appearance in 2010, Lebanon will make a welcome return to the World Cup.
Debutants: Latvia, South Sudan, and Georgia will be making their debut in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Cape Verde: The smallest nation in tournament history, Cape Verde, will participate in its first World Cup.

Long-Standing Tradition: Brazil and the United States will continue their streaks of participating in every World Cup since the tournament’s inception in 1950.
The 2023 FIBA World Cup promises to be a thrilling event with a diverse range of talented teams competing for basketball glory.

Teams that Failed to Qualify:

Regrettably, certain teams encountered obstacles in their journey to qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup:

South Korea: The team faced an unfortunate situation as one of its players tested positive for COVID-19, leading to their withdrawal from the tournament. Despite their appeal to FIBA, they were unable to participate.
Russia and Belarus: Both countries experienced the disappointment of being banned from FIBA tournaments, including the World Cup and its qualifiers. As a result, they were unable to compete in the event due to separate reasons.

Notable Absences:

The absence of some notable teams will be felt during the 2023 FIBA World Cup:

Argentina: Despite their outstanding achievement of winning the silver medal in the 2019 World Cup, Argentina could not secure a spot in this year’s tournament.
Africa: Several other prominent countries from Africa, such as Tunisia, Senegal, and Nigeria, who have previously participated in the World Cup, also missed out on qualification this time around.
The non-participation of these teams adds an intriguing element to the competition, and fans will undoubtedly miss witnessing their performances on the world stage.

Qualified teams, listed by region and their FIBA Men’s World Ranking before the tournament (in parentheses):

Africa (5):

Angola (41)
Cape Verde (64) (debut)
Egypt (55)
Ivory Coast (42)
South Sudan (62) (debut)
Americas (7):

Brazil (13)
Canada (15)
Dominican Republic (23)
Mexico (31)
Puerto Rico (20)
United States (2)
Venezuela (17)
Asia and Oceania (8):

Australia (3)
China (27)
Iran (22)
Japan (36) (co-hosts)
Jordan (33)
Lebanon (43)
New Zealand (26)
Philippines (40) (co-hosts)
Europe (12):

Finland (24)
France (5)
Georgia (32) (debut)
Germany (11)
Greece (9)
Italy (10)
Latvia (29) (debut)
Lithuania (8)
Montenegro (18)
Serbia (6)
Slovenia (7)
Spain (1)

Host Selection for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup :

The process of selecting the host for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was approved by FIBA on 7 June 2016. Notably, for the 2023 edition, the FIBA Central Board allowed joint bids by member federations. Additionally, there was no restriction on a country from the same confederation that hosted the previous edition, making multiple bids possible.

The list of candidates for hosting the World Cup was confirmed by FIBA on 1 June 2017. The initial candidates included joint bids from Argentina and Uruguay, as well as joint bids from the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. Russia and Turkey initially submitted solo bids but later withdrew from the bidding process, leaving the Philippines–Japan–Indonesia and Argentina–Uruguay joint bids as the only contenders. Consequently, the 2023 tournament was set to be the first World Cup hosted by multiple nations.

After a series of deliberations, the final voting results were announced on 9 December 2017. The joint bid of the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia emerged victorious with a unanimous vote, granting them the rights to host the upcoming World Cup.[6][7] On the same day, Argentina and Uruguay withdrew their joint bid, making the unanimous vote the determining factor in awarding the hosting rights to the remaining bidders.[8]