The results of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Draw are officially out, as all 32 teams are set to prepare for the first phase towards the highly coveted Naismith Trophy.
Led by tourney host in Philippines, Group A is occupied by Angola, Dominican Republic and Italy. For Group B, Serbia, China, Puerto Rico, and South Sudan are ready to battle it out.
Meanwhile, the United States banners the Group C. The powerhouse nation will face Greece, New Zealand and Jordan.
Group D has Lithuania, Mexico, Egypt and Montenegro. On the other hand, Group E contains Germany, Finland, Australia and Japan.
Slovenia, Cape Verde, Georgia and Venezuela are all included in Group F. Group G, for its part, will feature Iran, Spain, Ivory Coast and Brazil.
And lastly, the competitive Group H boasts Canada, Latvia, Lebanon and France.
Groups A and B will take the floor of Smart Araneta Coliseum, while Groups C and D will compete within the Mall of Asia Arena. Both stadiums are located in the Philippines and will cater the basketball thrill of die-hard Filipino hoops faithful.
Japan’s Okinawa Arena in Japan will stage the games for both Groups E and F. Finally, the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta will showcase the actions from Groups G and H.
In front of thousands of fans, accredited media members and FIBA representatives within the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum, international greats Dirk Nowitzki and Luis Scola led the highly anticipated draw process. They were accompanied by Philippine local icons in basketball star L.A. Tenorio and Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray.
Chinese great Yao Ming was also in attendance for the event. Former eight-division world champion and boxing’s finest Manny Pacquiao was shown watching in person, who was eventually showered by thunderous cheers by the Pinoy spectators.
The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, which is set to be hosted by three countries for the first time in its history, will take place from Aug. 25 to Sep. 10.
