By Stathis Trapezanlidis/ info@eurohoops.net
Five years after the previous World Cup and after expanding from 24 to 32 teams, things are going to be new and interesting in the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
Out of the 32 national teams which will compete, 23 can gain something for future competitions. That’s why there will be expanded qualification games and seven teams will gain direct access to the Tokyo Olympics depending their results on the FIBA World Cup. And on top of that, 16 teams will qualify for the four pre-Olympic tournaments which will decide the last four tickets to Tokyo 2020.
As you can see the top teams from each continent in the FIBA World Cup 2019 will classify directly to the Tokyo Olympics. Two teams will qualify from Europe, two more from America and one from Asia, one from Oceania and one from Africa. Japan has also already secured a spot in the Olympics.
The following best 16 teams will be divided into four pre-Olympic tournaments which will be held in the summer of 2020. The winner of each tournament will get a ticket for the Olympics. Each Olympic tournament will consist of six competitors with FIBA giving eight wildcards. In total 24 teams will fight for the last four spots of the Rio Olympics.