Canada Basketball/Muad Issa
Expectations are high for the Canada men’s roster FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. With great strength and a roster of star players, the Canadians have a real shot at taking home Canada’s first medal in tournament history. They could also secure Canada a place at the Paris 2024 Games and allow the country to compete in the men’s Olympic basketball tournament for the first time since the 2000 Games in Sydney.
Held every four years, the FIBA Basketball World Cup is the ultimate showcase for men’s basketball on a global scale. This year’s edition is the 19th since the competition began in 1950. It will be held in multiple countries for the first time in the tournament’s history, as the competition will be co-hosted by the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
Whether you’re new to the FIBA World Championship or just want to refresh your memory, here’s what you need to know as the highly-anticipated Men’s National Team Tournament gets underway. Friday 25 August.
What is the history of the FIBA Basketball World Cup?
The basketball world championship usually takes place every four years. After the 2014 FIBA World Cup, the four-year cadence of that tournament was changed to avoid scheduling conflicts with the FIFA World Cup. The defending champion is Spain, which won its second gold medal in 2019. The USA and the former Yugoslavia each won five gold medals.
In 1994, when this competition was called the FIBA World Championship, Toronto hosted the tournament as active players from the National Basketball Association (NBA) were able to participate for the first time. Since then, the sport has grown exponentially around the world and several countries are enrolling NBA players in their training.
Who will be part of Team Canada at the FIBA Basketball World Cup?
Please Note: The final Team Canada roster will be confirmed at the technical meeting held just prior to the start of the competition.
Canada’s expanded roster is led by one of basketball’s brightest young stars: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Hamilton, Ontario. After averaging 31.4 points per game with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, Gilgeous-Alexander was named an NBA First Team All-Star. He was only the second Canadian player after Steve Nash to receive this honor.
As the World Championship drew near, Canada Basketball announced that the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray, who could have served as the “SGA” fullback, would not be participating in the tournament. Having played a key role in capturing the Nuggets’ first NBA championship in their history, Murray certainly had a powerful influence on the course of play within Team Canada, but he hinted that his club’s long journey meant making the playoffs that he had to allow himself a longer recovery period and therefore could not take part in the World Cup.
SGA is joined by other NBA players, namely RJ Barrett, Luguentz Dort, Dillon Brooks, Kelly Olynyk, Dwight Powell and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
At 7ft 4in, center Zach Edey will be an asset that the Canada team will need given his height. Last season he was awarded the Naismith Trophy for NCAA Division I College Player of the Year.
Three players from the extended squad, Cory Joseph, Oshae Brissett and Kassius Robertson have asked not to be selected as the tournament nears.
Team Canada’s head coach will be Jordi Fernandez, who will make his international debut after taking office on June 27. Fernandez previously worked as an assistant coach for the national teams of Spain and Nigeria. He also has NBA experience, having served as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets and currently playing with the Sacramento Kings.
Who will Canada play at the FIBA Basketball World Cup?
Canada (15e World Ranking) is in Group H with France (5th), Latvia (29th) and Lebanon (43rd). The Canadians will play their first round matches in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Canada have rarely played games against teams in their group in recent years. In fact, we have to go back to 2016 when they lost to France in the FIBA World Cup Olympic Qualifying Tournament. France has been a powerhouse in world basketball for decades and just amassed a 10-2 record in Europa Zone qualifiers for the FIBA World Cup. The French won the bronze medal at the 2019 World Cup.
As part of the preparation for the World Cup, Canada won two of its three encounters on the way to winning the DBB Supercup in Hamburg. After losing to Germany in the first game, Canada bounced back with a lopsided win over New Zealand. In the final of the tournament, the Canadians came back from nine points behind in the fourth quarter to avenge their loss to the Germans, winning 113-112. RJ Barrett set the tone with a performance of 31 points.
Canada will open the World Cup on Friday, August 25 from 9:30am ET in the highly anticipated match of the day against France. This will be followed by meetings against Lebanon on Sunday 27th August at 5:45am ET, then against Latvia at 9:30am ET on Tuesday 29th August.
The top two teams in each group advance to the second round, and the qualifying formations then find themselves in new groups. The results of the first round will be preserved if the teams play against the two formations of their new group that they did not play in the first round. The second round will take place from August 31st to September 4th.
The top two teams in each second-round group advance to the Quarterfinals, where they attempt to secure their place in the Semifinals and then the Finals. The playoff round will take place from September 5th to 10th in Manila, Philippines.
What are Canada’s chances at the FIBA Basketball World Cup?
In recent years, Canada has not done well at the FIBA World Championship. The Canadians have qualified for just two of the last four tournaments, finishing 21st in 2019 and 22nd in 2010.
However, a breakthrough for the men’s national team is long overdue given the growing presence of Canadian NBA players and athletes from other professional leagues around the world.
They easily secured their ticket to the 2023 World Cup with an 11-1 in the FIBA Americas Zone Qualifier. Their 15th place in the FIBA World Rankings means they are likely to progress past the first round. Should they finish in the top two of Group H, they will be paired with the top two teams of Group G in the second round, also to be played in Jakarta. Group G features two heavyweights – Spain, ranked number one in the world and the tournament’s defending champions, and Brazil, ranked 13th in the world and the team that eliminated Canada from the AmeriCup in FIBA in 2022.
How can Canada qualify for Paris 2024 at the FIBA Basketball World Cup?
Seven teams compete in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualify for the next Olympic Games. This group will feature two teams from Zone Americas, two teams from Europe, and one team each from Zones Africa, Asia and Oceania. As the host country of the Paris 2024 Games, France is automatically qualified.
Canada must be among America’s top two teams at the World Cup to secure a place at the Games. The other countries in the region seeking Olympic qualification are Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the United States and Venezuela. For countries that do not qualify via the World Cup for the Paris 2024 Games, there will be another opportunity to do so through next year’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.
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