Latvia and Greece clashed today in Riga, as the group leaders defeated the Greek team 67-57, but Greece still made the world cup finals.
Toms Leimanis and Arturs Strautins, with 11 points each, and Dairis Bertans, with 10 points, led the winning side, while Greece had no players in double figures, with Manos Chatzidakis as the top scorer with nine points.
The 32-team pool comprises 12 European participants, 7 Americas teams, 8 Asian squads (including Australia and New Zealand that played in Asian Qualifiers), and 5 African sides.
The Basketball World Cup will take place in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia from August 25th to September 10th and will be hosted by the three nations for the first time.
The tournament draw will take place on April 29th in Manila, Philippines.
Spain, who recently made history by overtaking the US in the FIBA ranking, will be defending the title.
After a 7th-place finish in the previous World Cup, Team USA will look for its sixth trophy to surpass Yugoslavia and have the most golden accolades. Kevin Durant-led Team USA finished first in the last major basketball event -- 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
As well as deciding who will be the world champion, the upcoming World Cup will allocate seven Paris Olympics 2024 berths.
FIBA World Cup 2023 participants
Europe (12 teams)
- Greece
- Latvia
- Finland
- Germany
- Slovenia
- Lithuania
- France
- Spain
- Italy
- Georgia
- Montenegro
- Serbia
America (7 teams)
- Canada
- USA
- Dominican Republic
- Puerto Rico
- Brazil
- Venezuela
- Mexico
American Qualifiers provided arguably the biggest upset in recent FIBA windows. Despite having a 17-point lead, star-studded Argentina lost against the Dominican Republic 75-79 and was eliminated from contention for the World Cup.
Argentina's national team claimed the silver medal in the FIBA World Cup 2019.
It will be their first absence from the event since 1982.
Asia (8 teams)
- Australia
- China
- Japan
- Iran
- Lebanon
- New Zealand
- Philippines
- Jordan
Africa (5 teams)
- Ivory Coast
- Angola
- South Sudan
- Egypt
- Cape Verde
