RIO DE JANEIRO (Brazil) – The Final 8 teams have earned their spot in the Basketball Champions League Americas Season 3 playoffs, with competition kicking off on Wednesday, April 6.

The top two teams from each group advanced as the last stage concluded in March, and now they will play in single-elimination games to fight for the BCL Americas title. Here's all you need to know before the playoff tips off.

Who is the defending champion?

Flamengo won the BCL Americas Final 8 in 2021 in Managua, Nicaragua after defeating Real Esteli. Then, Flamengo beat Burgos to win the 2022 Intercontinental Cup.

What is the bracket for the Quarter-Final?

All games for the Quarter-Finals are being played on April 6, starting with Cangrejeros vs. Quimsa at 12:30pm local time, followed by Sao Paulo FC vs. Real Esteli at 3:00pm local time.

The second half of the game slate will be Bigua vs. Boca Jrs at 5:30pm local time and defending champions Flamengo will take on Minas at 8:30pm local time to finish the day.

The winners of each game will meet on Apr. 7 for the semi-final round, and the final for the BCL Americas Season 3 title will be played on Apr. 9 with a third-place game tipping off at 4:00pm local time before the final at 7:00pm local time.

Where is the second stage being played?

The Final 8 is being played at Arena Carioca 1 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, part of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Park and premiered during the 2016 Olympic Games.

Arena Carioca 1 has hosted the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in 2019 amongst other FIBA events and is being hosted by reigning BCL Americas Season 2 champions Flamengo.

What is on the line during the Final 8?

The winner of BCL Americas Season 3 will earn a spot into the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.

Flamengo, who earned a spot in the 2022 FIBA Intercontinental Cup after winning BCL Americas Season 2, won the Intercontinental Cup for the second time in club history on Feb. 13, defeating Hereda San Pablos Burgos 75-62.

Which games in the Final 8 are must-see?

Sao Paulo was the only team to go undefeated in the group stage of BCL Americas, while Real Esteli was in a tough Group A that saw all three teams finish 3-3 after the now-eliminated Edmonton Stingers stunned both teams and went undefeated at home.

The two will face off in what will be sure to be a physical game seeing players like Bruno Caboclo match up against Renaldo Balkman in the paint.

Another must-see game is defending champion Flamengo taking on Minas, as the two teams both finished in the top three of Season 2 of BCL Americas.

Though Minas had a less than desirable final stage of group play, the duo of Shaquille Johnson and Guilherme Deodato want to change the narrative and upset the powerhouse of Flamengo, though stopping the scoring power and ball movement of Tulio Da Silva, Yago Santos and Brandon Robinson will be a challenge for Minas.

Franco Balbi is also looking to add to Flamengo’s success after missing last year’s titles with an injury.

Who are players to watch in the Final 8?

While Caboclo and Johnson are definitely two of the top players in the competition and will be ones to watch in their respective Quarter-Finals, BCL Americas is packed with talents that will be on display in Brazil.

Davon Jefferson and Isaac Sosa are two physical scoring machines for Cangrejeros, both able to shoot over 40 percent from beyond the arc despite being Jefferson being a big man who will also make an impact in the paint and on the boards.

Jezreel De Jesus was a gamechanger for Esteli in the final group stage of play, shooting as much as 50 percent from the floor and accumulating 26 points while also moving the ball around the perimeter efficiently and not being afraid to get in on the boards.

Sao Paulo’s Marquinhos Sousa is a veteran presence on the team and is not only able to make an impact on the floor but can also score from the three-point line making his ability to find the rim versatile on a team where a player like Caboclo will attract attention opening up scoring chances for his teammates.

Defensively, Bigua’s Luis Santos is capable of not only getting his large frame in to block shots and rebound, but is quick enough to grab steals and help Bigua in transition in order to score, which helped the team finish first in Group C and win four of their last five games in BCL Americas.

Where can I watch BCL Americas Final 8?

All games will be available at ESPN (Brazil), DIRECTV Sports (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela), and the rest of the world on BCL Americas' Youtube channel.

FIBA