Is Canada up to the FIBA Basketball World Cup challenge?

FIBA Basketball World Cup

It is just over a week until the FIBA Basketball World Cup gets underway on August 25. Three host countries will see the games split across Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines. A total of 92 games will be played over just 16 days with the final coming up on September 10. 

A nice touch with this tournament has been the trophy tour that has seen the Naismith Trophy travel to all of the 32 participating nations before heading back for the tournament, ready to be hoisted by the winning team in September.

The tournament starts with eight groups of four teams. The second round is also made up of groups, the top two in each of the opening groups will play for quarter-final spots while the third and fourth place in each opening group will play to determine the bottom half, 17th-32nd places.

Records from the opening group stages are kept with each team only playing two games at the second stage against the teams who were in a different opening group. So for instance if Canada and France progress from their group, they would be in the same second-round group but would not play one another again. For all your needs regarding the best betting sites in Canada, we have reviews across some of the biggest odds compilers. Let’s dig into the FIBA Basketball World Cup and assess the chances that Team Canada has of bringing the trophy home with them.

Hosts

It’s Manila in the Philippines that will see the best of the action during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The Mall of Asia Arena will host all games from the quarter-final stage onwards as well as some of the early action. 

The Araneta Coliseum will also see group action through the first week of the tournament. A single game on the opening day at the Philippine Arena will see the hosts take on the Dominican Republic, the only time that arena will be used.

Games in Japan will be hosted at the Okinawa Arena in both the group stages and the second round of the competition. Indonesia will see their games both in the groups and in the second round being played in the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta.

Canadien Team

Team Canada will play their games in Group H, to begin with, their three opponents will be discussed further down the page. Canada is currently ranked 15th in the world and will play their group games in Jakarta.

The big question at this stage is whether Jamal Murray will be with the team or not. Part of the Denver Nuggets NBA title winners last season, he has been recovering from an injury with a decision made on him closer to the start of the tournament.

No Murray would be a blow for Canada but they still have some excellent players like RJ Barrett and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at their disposal who have displayed their talents in the NBA for the Knicks and Thunder respectively. 

If Canada is one of the two top teams from the Americas at this tournament then they will qualify for the Olympics next year in Paris. That gives an added edge going into the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the team.

Group A

The Philippines are in the first group along with Italy, the Dominican Republic and Angola. The hosts won a bronze in this event way back in 1954 but fans have had less to cheer recently, going 1-9 in their last two trips to the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

There are a couple of NBA players in the Dominican Republic squad, a nation who have climbed to 24 in the world rankings. They have achieved little in this tournament in the past but they are in a weak group.

Italy was the silver medalist in the 1980 and 2004 Olympic Games and is currently sitting in the top 10 in the rankings. Whether they are genuinely up to that level is debatable but they will fancy their chances of at least the quarter-finals here.  

Angola has made it to this tournament eight times and is yet to go home without at least one win. That should sound a warning to the hosts.

Group B

China will take on Puerto Rico, South Sudan and Serbia in Group B. So often China is the world powerhouse in sports but basketball is not one of them. This will be their tenth trip to the FIBA Basketball World Cup, yet to finish higher than eighth so far.

The semi-final stage in 1990 is the pinnacle of what Puerto Rico has achieved in this competition, though they have acquitted themselves well in the Pan American and FIBA AmeriCup in the past as well. Behind Serbia, second place is up for grabs in the group and that should be their target here.

Speaking of Serbia, they were twice the winners of this tournament when they were the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, making a final as Serbia in 2014 when they lost to the USA. It would be a huge surprise to see them exit before at least the quarter-final stage.

Finally, South Sudan, who did not become a member of FIBA until 2013. They went 11-1 in qualifying for this first trip to the World Cup and will be sure to relish their time in the tournament. Wenyen Gabriel would be their best-known player having put on the jersey of six different NBA franchises, most recently the Lakers.

Group C

It is far from the ‘Dream Team’ for the USA but they are still the red-hot favourites to win the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. They will take on Greece, Jordan and New Zealand in their group.

Their squad is still made up of household names from the NBA, coached by Steve Kerr so the ability and veteran know-how is there for them to run riot over the majority of the teams that they are going to face in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

They will have been embarrassed at their performance in the 2019 tournament when only finishing seventh so they have a little more to play for in 2023 in terms of sheer pride and a desire not to be eliminated so early.

Greece are a decent enough side for them to face and should keep them honest in the group. Although the loss of Giannis Antetokounmpo through injury is going to be a tough pill for them to swallow, they have enough talent to get through even without the seven-time NBA all-star on their roster. 

Known as the ‘Tall Blacks’, New Zealand have caused a shock or two through their history in basketball but that has tended to come when they have been taking on Australia so have a little more to play for. Jordan has won just a single game in the 10 they have played at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in the past and does not look like improving on that record in 2023.

Group D

Mexico will take on Egypt, Lithuania and Montenegro here. The National sport of Lithuania is basketball so although they are a small country both in terms of area size and population, they have a very strong team who are currently ranked number 7 in the world. 

Jonas Valančiūnas would be the best-known of their players to fans in Canada, the current New Orleans Pelican was a long-time Toronto Raptor who sadly for him was traded in the February of the year that the Raptors won the title. The fifth overall pick back in 2011 will be looking to lead his team into the latter stages of the tournament.

Montenegro is similar to Lithuania in terms of being a small nation but they too have shown plenty of ability on the court. Nikola Vučević is a center for the Bulls and is their best-known player, they will be hoping to make the second round.

The other two sides look to face a tough task to make it through. Mexico is likely to come off third best with Egypt by far the lowest-ranked team in the group but Mexico tend to save their best performances for when they take on the USA.

Group E

The second of the host groups, this one with Japan who have a tough assignment having been placed in a group with Germany, Australia and Finland. Germany especially looks like a force to be reckoned with, beating Canada in a warm-up game before just failing in a second game against them most recently. Bronze medalists in the 2022 EuroBasket tournament, they look ready to take another step up on that level.

Australia is building itself into a basketball powerhouse these days with plenty of talent making the NBA. Ranked third in the world, they are going to have their sights set on a deep run in this competition, something that they have not been able to do in the past. 

The hosts Japan are just filling up the numbers as are Finland. Japan will have to hope that the support that they get from their home crowd is enough to see them at least compete at a respectable level in a group where they look outclassed.

Group F

Slovenia has been drawn in Group F to take on Cape Verde, Georgia and Venezuela. They are led by Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks and are a strong contender to go a long way through this tournament. Semi-finalists at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, their sights will be set similarly now.

Venezuela should be the team to follow them into the second round, the FIBA AmeriCup winners in 2015, they can make the second round. Georgia should beat Cape Verde who have set a new record as the smallest nation to ever qualify but that will be all that they win.

Group G

Spain will have high hopes of making a run to the latter stages of this competition. A group that contains Iran, Ivory Coast and Brazil should give them little in the way of problems on their march to the next round.

Spain is the defending champions which will add a level of pressure on them that they are not used to. They won gold back in 2006 as well as having a trio of silver medals from the Olympic Games so there is plenty of history there with Spanish teams showing up well in the Euroleague.

Iran is ranked number 22 in the world. They have won the FIBA Asia Cup on three separate occasions, the most recent of those in 2013. This will be a fifth trip to the FIBA Basketball World Cup for Ivory Coast who are yet to make an impression on the tournament. 

There is a strong history of basketball in Brazil. Triple bronze medalists at the Olympic games, they have won this tournament twice, in 1959 and 1963. They will be hoping to qualify along with Spain for the second round.

Group H

Finally, we get to Canada’s group and it’s a tough enough one with France, Latvia and Lebanon in opposition. France won silver at the 2020 Olympics as well as bronze at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup so they are a difficult opening game for Canada.

Latvia will be no pushover with the likes of the Celtic’s Kristaps Porziņģis in their squad, though there have been reports that he is nursing an injury at present which would help Canada. Lebanon has taken silver four times in the FIBA Asia Cup but should not be good enough to trouble Canada or France in the group.

Our Prediction

LeoVegas Free Bet

It is not hard to see why the USA will have high hopes of winning the tournament. There is plenty of NBA class in their lineup and they will be desperate to put the failure of 2019 well behind them.

Team Canada has the quality to make an impression on the tournament but they have a tough opening group and then the prospect of facing the defending champions Spain in the second group. Their opening match against France is going to be absolutely crucial.  

Team USA is -110 but they make little appeal as a bet at the price. Canada is +500 which is probably short enough given the potential for hazards in their group. At a bigger price, Germany at +2800 might not be a bad shout with an easy route to the quarter-final stage.

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