By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
A total of 36 teams have already booked their tickets for the second round of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers which start in September.
According to the press release:
The number of known teams for the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers grew from 23 to 36 after 13 national sides from across Americas, Asia and Europe secured their places on Thursday, when the third window got underway.
Hungary, Korea, Latvia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Panama, Poland, Puerto Rico, Slovenia, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine and the Virgin Islands clinched places in the Second Round of the Qualifiers for China 2019.
They join Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Serbia, Spain, Venezuela, Uruguay and USA who all guaranteed their places in the next phase during the February window.
Results of all games from the First Round carry over to the Second Round. Therefore, every team needs to win as many games as possible.
Here is how things stand in Europe.
Group A: Spain, Slovenia and Montenegro through to Second Round; Belarus eliminated.
Group B: Turkey, Ukraine and Latvia through to Second Round; Sweden eliminated.
Group C: Lithuania, Hungary and Poland through to Second Round; Kosovo eliminated.
Group D: Italy and Netherlands through to Second Round; they will be joined by the winner of Sunday’s game Romania v Croatia.
Group H: Greece through to Second Round; if Estonia beat Great Britain on Friday, Israel and Estonia advance; if Great Britain wins that game, the last two remaining spots will be decided by the outcomes of Monday’s games, Estonia v Greece and Great Britain v Israel.
Out of the 80 teams from across the globe taking part in the First Round of the Qualifiers, the top 60 advance to the Second Round, which will consist of three windows in September and November 2018 and February 2019.
The 31 best teams will join hosts China at the first-ever 32-team FIBA Basketball World Cup, taking place from August 31-September 15, 2019.
Source: FIBA