Spain already knows its rivals for the Basketball World Cup that will be held between August 25 and September 10 this year in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. The team led by Sergio Scariolo, who will defend his title of world champion in China 2019, will face Brazil, Iran and Ivory Coast, all classified in Group G, in an affordable first stage for the Spaniards who will play their matches in Jakarta, Indonesia. Spain will make their debut against Ivory Coast on August 26 and close the first phase against Iran on August 30. In the second phase, they would face rivals from one of the ‘groups of death’, group H consisting of key teams such as Canada, France and Latvia. In turn, Spain would face the ever-dreaded USA team in the hypothetical semi-final, to be held at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines. Earlier, in the quarterfinals, the crosses could measure the Spanish team with Germany, Australia or Slovenia. Therefore, the goal of the Spanish team in the next World Cup is to fight for the medals and get one of the two European tickets, alongside the hosts France, for the Paris Olympics in 2024, and thus the always complicated Olympic play- avoid offs. . . The Spanish team is the current number one in the FIBA ranking ahead of the United States and Australia, but it would not be the first seed in the World Cup draw. That condition was from the Philippines, the host country that will host the final phase of the World Cup. A draw full of geographical circumstances that dictated that in the eight resulting groups there could only be one team from Africa per group, one team from Asia per group and one team from America per group. And a maximum of two from Europe. Finally, the innocent hand was Luis Scola, one of the illustrious guests at the ceremony, who acted as World Cup ambassadors along with Dirk Nowitzki. Both took the balls of the three accessible rivals Scariolo’s team will face in the first World Cup stage, occupying position thirteen (Brazil), position twenty-two (Iran) and position forty-two (Ivory Coast) in FIBA arrangement. Jorge Garbajosa, President of the Spanish Basketball Federation, attended the draw for the 2019 Naismith Trophy won in China. was Pau Gasol, albeit at a distance, who will be personally present at the World Cup, along with basketball emblems such as Luis Scola or Carmelo Anthony. The United States, for its part, has been placed in Group C and will face Giannis Antetokoumpo’s Greece. Jordan and New Zealand also form that group. An a priori affordable path for the North Americans, who will try to avoid another failure like China 2019, where they lost to the French team in the quarterfinals. If they can clear the group stage with guarantees, Steve Kerr’s pupils will face rivals like Lithuania or Montenegro, favorites in Group D. It will be the first Basketball World Cup to be played in three different countries, and the different venues will be adjusted accordingly. divided as follows: Groups A and B play at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila. Group C and D play their matches at the Mall of Asia Arena, also in the Philippine capital. For their part, E and F will have their home at the Okinawa Arena (Japan), while the Spanish group and H will play at the Indonesia Arena. So Spain will play the first and second stages in Jakarta, and if they certify their more than likely qualification for the final stage, they’ll pack their bags to play in Manila, Philippines. France in the ‘group of death’ Group H is given the status of ‘group of death’. France, Canada, Latvia and Lebanon compete for the two places that give access to the second stage. Exactly the two best of this group would compete against Spain. Another group that is difficult to predict is E, consisting of Germany, Australia, Finland and Japan. Luka Doncic’s Slovenia is more fortunate, having joined an affordable group from Georgia, Venezuela and Cape Verde. The draw was a celebration at the Araneta Coliseum, a stadium with a capacity of 50,000 spectators that will host the closing stages. A historic Coliseum for the world of sports, as ‘The Thrilla in Manila’ took place there, the last of the three fights between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier for the World Heavyweight Championship, held on October 1, 1975. The ceremony also included a musical performance by invited guests artists such as Saweetie, Sarah Geronimo and Billy Crawford. Some ambassadors from the host countries also showed up, such as the Filipino Catriona Gray (Miss Universe 2018), LA Tenorio (former Philippine international), Takehiko Orimo (a reference in Japanese basketball) and Raffi Ahmad (Indonesian actor, presenter and singer). There was also time to present the official mascot of the World Cup. It will be a robot named ‘JIP’, the initials of the three host countries: Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. An android designed by Filipino kids who play basketball and whose energy is absorbed through recycling.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
