SAMOA (POLYNESIA CUP) - The upcoming Polynesia Cup 2018 featuring host Samoa, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga, and Tahiti will serve as the qualifier for the 2019 Pacific Games.

The Pacific Games Committee in cooperation with FIBA officially recognizes the 2018 Polynesia Cup as it's basketball qualifier, which will also be the bridgeway for the Oceania nations to play in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Pre-Qualifiers.

"The new competition system will give the Oceania nations more opportunities for the national teams to play and give them a clear pathway to the FIBA Asia Cup Pre-Qualifiers. This is the first step for the nations to aspire to play in the world level," said FIBA Oceania Executive Director David Crocker.

The Polynesia Cup will have a round-robin phase in the group stage of the Men's and Women's competition with the top four teams advancing to the Playoff round.

The top two teams at the end of the group stage will qualify for the 2019 Pacific Games.

"We have been working closely with the national federations and host Samoa the past few months in preparation for the Polynesia Cup. The "Poly" Cup will give the countries the opportunity to see where their national team programs are and the chance to play in the Pacific Games," said FIBA Oceania Competitions Manager, Amanda Jenkins.

The Polynesia Cup Cup will be held in Apia, Samoa on November 19-24.

FIBA