SAN JUAN (FIBA) - Puerto Rico's basketball supremo Carlos Beltran has called the increase in national team home games that is an integral part of FIBA's new system of competition "a blessing" as it will see the Boricuas be in the spotlight all year long.

Over a four-year cycle from 2017 through 2021, national teams will play regular home and away games to qualify for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2021 FIBA Continental Cups.

Alex Franklin (PUR)

Beltran, the President of the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation, said: "The system, looking at it from a collective standpoint, has its advantages and disadvantages.

"Like any system in the world, until you apply it and you see the results, it's very difficult to form a precise opinion because you need to let things work.

"Obviously when it comes to the advantages, for us we would have a Puerto Rico national team playing at various dates throughout the year.

"It's an advantage because you can have the national team or a representation of Puerto Rico for three or four times a year in given windows and this creates a collective atmosphere in the country to promote the national team."

The windows for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifying will open in 2017 in November (Nov. 20-28) and continue in February (Feb. 19-27).

The third window will run from 25 June to 3 July, the fourth in September (10-18) and fifth from 26 November to 4 December with the last in 2019 February (20-28).

Seven teams will ultimately qualify for the World Cup from the Americas.

"The disadvantage," Beltran said, "is you don't have your top players available because they are playing in different leagues, the NBA, etc," he said.

"But everyone is in the same situation.

"No one has an advantage in the sense that you are applying a system that obviously the federations are working throughout the year to promote their product and that they can recover revenue from commercial firms in order to stabilize themselves financially."

Beltran says that having the country's team on the court more frequently is going to be a welcome sight for the fans.

"For the Puerto Ricans, the national team is the number one team in the country," he said.

"To play more games throughout the year at home represents a blessing because you are going to have everyone following the national team throughout the year."

FIBA