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FIBA National Team Competitions System & Calendar

2017 marked the beginning of a new era for basketball worldwide, one which features 1,680 top players in 1,250 national teams games and millions of fans all around the globe!

The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers, which tipped off in November 2017, establish a clear Road to the FIBA Basketball World Cup China 2019.

National team basketball is front and center during the 6 windows of the Qualifiers taking place over a 15-month period across the four Regions of Africa, Americas, Asia (including Oceania) and Europe.

With regular and competitive home and away games, fans around the world experience national team basketball throughout the year and watch the stars of the game defend their colors on home soil to qualify for FIBA's flaghsip competition!


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Key Changes
  • The FIBA Basketball World Cup moved from 2018 to 2019 and then held every four years (2023, 2027, 2031, etc.) to avoid clashing with other major sporting events
  • Two-year qualification period for each FIBA Basketball World Cup: 6 windows per qualification period (Nov, Feb, June, Sept, Nov, Feb)
  • FIBA Basketball World Cup played with 32 teams: 1 host country - China; 5 from Africa; 7 from Americas; 7 from Asia (including Oceania) and 12 from Europe
  • Qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games through the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and 4 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in 2021
  • Asia and Oceania play together in an Asia Region to ensure competitive games
FIBA Continental Cups 2021 Qualifiers

Starting right after the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, all FIBA Continental Cups will follow a four-year cycle (2021, 2025, 2029, etc.). The FIBA Continental Cups 2021 Qualifiers will begin in the 4 Regions and consist of 4 windows. These Qualifiers tip off in November 2019, and then continue in February and November 2020 and February 2021.

After the Continental Cups 2021, the four-year cycle (2021-2025) starts once again with the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers beginning in November 2021.

BENEFITS
  • The growth of national team basketball needs to be promoted in all countries


    • Improved basketball exposure: More than 140 countries playing - 1,250 regular and meaningful games
    • New interest for basketball: Regular official national team games in front of their home fans
    • Player-friendly system with one free summer: Maximizes the chance of having international stars in the flagship FIBA competitions
    • Opportunity for new countries and players to emerge through regular official games
    • Year-round regular visibility of the national team, not only in the summer time - creating synergies with club competitions
    • Improved structure of lead-up to flagship national team competitions: Clear "Road to" the main FIBA tournaments
    • Enhanced potential for commercial and media partners to be associated with the national teams and the main FIBA competitions
    • Development of National Federations, by providing them with their own assets, new tools and more resources
    • Increased media exposure and promotion for national team basketball - generating benefits across all FIBA Zones
    • No visibility of national teams in their home countries
    • National team competitions in selected host countries taking place ONLY in the summer
    • No easy-to-follow qualification system throughout the 5 continental zones
    • No lead-up ("Road to") to the flagship national team competitions - long periods of time without games
    • Unlike other team sports, currently no official regular home games for all national teams
    • Future participation of the best players in national team flagship competitions questionable
    • No development potential for most of the National Federations as the same countries play and win the major competitions
    • Too much "wear and tear" for national team players competing every summer at the end of the club season
    • Economic viability of the current system at risk in a changing environment as other sports are improving their position
  • Download the full "Competition System & Calendar 2017+" brochure HERE.