MIES (Switzerland) - A pair of defeats in the latest window of the European Qualifiers have left Turkey in a very precarious position as they try to reach the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. Yet even if they do not make the 32-team tournament, the country will still have an opportunity to reach the 2024 Olympics.

12 teams that do not survive the Second Round of the 2023 World Cup European Qualifiers will be among the 40 eligible national sides to take part in one of the Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (Pre-OQT) to be held next year. Four other teams will be eligible from the EuroBasket Pre-Qualifiers Second Round.

If Turkey do not reach the World Cup, the country will have a chance to play in Paris 2024

While most of the teams going to the Olympics will do so with their performances at the World Cup, as happened when teams booked their places in China 2019 for the Tokyo Games, there will still be a path to Olympic qualification thanks to the newly introduced pre-OQTs that will offer tickets for the OQTs.

Seven teams that do not make it from the Second Round of the African Qualifiers for the World Cup will be eligible, as well as the best ranked team (in the FIBA World Ranking) that did not play in the Second Round, so eight teams.

Five countries that do not make it to the World Cup from the Second Round of the Americas Qualifiers will be eligible for the pre-OQTs, as well as the three teams with the highest FIBA World Ranking that didn't play in the Second Round.

Eight of the teams in the Asian Qualifiers that come up short of the World Cup will also be eligible to take part in the pre-OQTs.

Five countries will make it out of the pre-OQTs and advance to the 24-team OQT field. They will join 16 teams that will be in the OQTs, irrespective of region and based on the World Cup rankings (finishes), as well as three other teams based on the World Cup rankings - the next best ranked teams from Africa, the Americas and Asia.

The winners of the OQTs will join Olympic hosts France (pending decision of the Central Board), along with the other teams that clinch places in the Paris Games with their performances at the World Cup.

FIBA