ALLAN THE MAN

The qualification process for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup came to a close on Sunday 22 September with the conclusion of EuroBasket 2013 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. As a result of this, 20 of the 24 national teams that will compete in FIBA’s flagship event next summer (30 August-14 September 2014) are now known, with the remaining four to be determined through the attribution of wild cards by FIBA.

Here are the 20 national teams that have qualified for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup:

1 Host Country: Spain

1 Olympic Champion: USA

3 teams from Africa: Angola, Egypt and Senegal

4 teams from Americas: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Argentina and Dominican Republic

3 teams from Asia: Iran, Philippines and Korea

6 teams from Europe: France, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Serbia

2 teams from Oceania: Australia and New Zealand

National teams that participated in FIBA’s 2013 continental championships and did not qualify for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup but are interested in participating in FIBA’s flagship event must send an application to FIBA in which they will state their case as to why they should be granted one of the wild cards. No more than three national teams from one FIBA Zone can receive the wild cards.

The decision on which four national teams will receive these wild cards will be made taking into consideration the following criteria:

Sporting and Promotional Aspects

- The popularity of basketball in the country

- The quality and sporting results of the national teams of the country

- The hosting or bidding for hosting of past FIBA events

- The impact of a participation at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in the country in view of the country’s basketball development

- The commitment of the best players from the country to participate at the FIBA Basketball World Cup

Economic Aspects

- The involvement of local television and corporate sector in the domestic and international basketball competitions

- The importance of the country’s market to FIBA’s commercial partners

- The importance of the country to the Organisers of the FIBA Basketball World Cup

Governance Aspects

- Compliance with the Internal Regulations and General Statutes of FIBA

- The quality of the work of the National Federation

- Governmental support to the National Federation

- Participation in FIBA and/or FIBA Zone activities, commissions, etc…

National Federations applying to have their national team considered for a wild card can make donations. The amounts collected will be used for the worldwide promotion of basketball through FIBA’s International Basketball Foundation (IBF).

FIBA will reveal which four national teams will receive the wild cards at its Central Board meeting on the weekend of 1-2 February 2014 in Barcelona, Spain.

The Central Board might decide to shorten the list of candidates at its next meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the weekend of 23-24 November 2013.

The draw for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup will take place on Monday 3 February 2014.

---

About the FIBA Basketball World Cup

The first-ever FIBA Basketball World Cup will take place in 2014 in Spain.

The Preliminary Round will be played from Saturday 30 August to Thursday 4 September in Bilbao, Seville, Granada and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The Final Round will be hosted in the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona and in the Palacio de los Deportes of Madrid from Saturday 6 to Sunday 14 September.

The FIBA Basketball World Cup, known from 1950 until 2010 as the FIBA World Championship, is the flagship event of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

The winners of the FIBA Basketball World Cup get to celebrate their crowning moment by holding aloft the Naismith Trophy, named after the inventor of basketball, Dr James Naismith.

Follow @AllanTheManBlog Follow @allanistheman11