2019 FIBA China World Cup draw completed in Shenzhen

The 2019 FIBA World Cup draw was completed on March 16 in the Shenzhen Bay Arena in Shenzhen, China. For the first time ever, the event was open to the public in which 8,000 people attended. American singer-songwriter Jason Derulo and basketball icon Kobe Bryant headlined the draw which was presented by Wanda. Chinese basketball player Yao Ming and Chinese teen idol Yang Chaoyue also attended the draw.

The results of the draw were:

Group A: Venezuela, Poland, China, and Ivory Coast

Group B: Argentina, Russia, South Korea and Nigeria

Group C: Spain, Puerto Rico, Iran and Tunisia

Group D: Serbia, Italy, Philippines and Angola

Group E: USA, Turkey, Czech Republic, and Japan

Group F: Greece, Brazil, Montenegro, and New Zealand

Group G: France, Dominican Republic, Germany, and Jordan

Group H: Lithuania, Australia, Canada, and Senegal

The tournament will be hosted in eight different cities located around China, and the World Cup will occurring from Aug 31 to Sep 15. In the 16 days, the 32 national teams will play a total of 26 games, eliminating teams until a champion emerges from the teams. The semi-finals and final match of the tournament will be held in the capital of China at the Beijing Cadillac Arena. This year, China drew the best possible group that they could have hoped for. The other teams that they drew with, Venezuela, Poland, and the Ivory Coast, are formidable but China has a fair chance of beating them. The highest ranked team among within the group is Venezuela, which was the lowest ranked team in their qualifying group. On the other hand, Poland’s qualification for the 2019 FIBA World Cup is their first major international basketball competition qualification in fifty-two years. Last but not least, the Ivory Coast national team is ranked 64th in the FIBA World Rankings, which is more than thirty ranks behind China. Furthermore, China already played three matches against the Ivory Coast and have won all three games. On paper, the Chinese national team has a high chance of topping the group. We should all cheer for China this year during the 2019 FIBA China World Cup!
Featured Image – Kobe Bryant and Yang Chaoyue at the 2019 FIBA World Cup China Draw Courtesy of VCG