The FIBA World Cup is about to kick off and the international tournament is seen as more important to non-US players like Giannis Antetokoumnpo and Luka Doncic than an actual NBA championship — they are representing their country after all.
With a growing international fanbase, basketball’s fanbase is enormous, with millions not just watching but also wagering on their favorite teams and players. Online sportsbooks like VBET offer a wide range of basketball betting opportunities and cover all the famous tournaments throughout the year. Among such events is the FIBA World Cup.
The basketball fans get excited as the event is just around the corner. In our quick World Cup preview, we’ll discuss the FIBA World Cup, its history, format, and the power rankings for 2023.
FIBA World Cup Overview
After the Olympics themselves, the FIBA Basketball World Cup is the most prestigious basketball competitions, featuring national teams from all over the world. The tournament serves as a qualification event for the Summer Olympics, so the competitive scene is enormous.
The FIBA World Cup was first held in 1950, making it one of the oldest international basketball competitions. The tournament has undergone several changes in format, participating teams, and regulations over the years. This year the competition is slated to take place in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. Thirty-two nations will compete on the court for glory from August 25 to September 10.
2023 FIBA World Cup’s Format
The FIBA World Cup consists of the following phases:
Qualification – Before the World Cup, teams undergo a qualification process based on their regional zones. Different FIBA zones have qualifying tournaments from which teams earn spots in the World Cup.
Group Stage (Aug.25-30) – The participating teams are divided into eight groups, with four in each group. They compete in a round-robin format, where each team plays against the others. So, following this logic, each team gets to play 48 times. In such an order, only two teams from each group move on to the next round.
Second Round/Group Phase (Aug. 31-Sep. 4) – After the group stage, teams progress to the second round. In this stage, teams will play against groups they didn’t play before. Overall there are 16 games. The top teams from each group will advance to Quarter-FInals.
Final Phase (Sep.5-10) – The final phase lasts 5 days, during which the eight teams will play against each other. The teams compete in single-elimination games, with the winners advancing to the next round. Four winning teams go to the semifinals. The rest four teams compete for 5-8 places.
The two winners of the semifinals face off in the championship game to determine the FIBA World Cup champion. The losing semi-finalists play for the third-place spot.
To sum up, from September 5 to 6, the fans can follow the quarterfinals. The semifinal is on September 8, and final matches are scheduled to take place on September 10 in the Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippines.
2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Power Rankings
This ranking provides a quick overview of the potential winners for the 2023 season. Without further ado, let’s dive into it. Please pay attention that these are just predictions. As basketball is a dynamic sport, things may change in the course of the event, so always stay tuned by following the latest news.
Team USA
The USA has put together another excellent team in a bid to recover its position as the unquestioned top in basketball after failing to win a medal in 2019.
The team’s average age is only 24.6 years; they are young, full of energy, skills, and drive. And it’s Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s task to mold this young team into a champion. The New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson is set to be the team’s leader. The current NBA Rookie of the Year, Paolo Banchero, Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves, Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Mikal Bridges will be the core lineup of the team. It feels like the team has got everything to prove its supremacy on the court this year, so make sure you follow it.
Canada
This may be the most big-name team Canada has ever presented. With 11 players that are currently or have previously played in the NBA, including Dillon Brooks, Cory Joseph, Lu Dort, Dwight Powell, and Kelly Olynyk, the team is solid and worthy of second place on our ranking.
If the team could get Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and current NBA champion Jamal Murray on the same page, it would change the entire course of the game. However, Murray announced that he won’t play this tournament due to physical drain of his recent NBA championship season.
This team has one of the better rosters in the World Cup, even without Murray. With Jordi Fernandez taking Nick Nurse’s place, Canada should finally perform to their potential and advance far in global competition. Their first medal in this competition guarantees a ticket to the Paris Olympics in 2024, so don’t miss your chance to follow them on the court.
France
One of the few teams that has not only close to challenging the United States team internationally, but Les Bleus has defeated Team USA is France.
The problem for the France team this season is that many of their NBA stars, including Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert, and Nicolas Batum, are not performing as well as they used to.
Additionally, Victor Wembanyama has decided to skip the 2023 FIBA World Cup; the next generation of young basketball players is not fully ready to take over the court. But, entirely forgetting about France at FIBA wouldn’t be wise as they still have Nic Batum, Guershon Yabusele, Rudy Gobert, and Evan Fournier in their lineup. So it could be a good idea to keep a watch on this team to see if coach Vincent Collet can pull the team together and lead it to finals.
Australia
Finishing up the power ranking with Australia. After getting fourth place in 2019, Australia is back in full force with super-talented players. This season the team will deploy its most talented lineup with veteran players like Patty Mills and Joe Ingles joined by up-and-comers Josh Giddey, Josh Green, and Matisse Thybulle.
