More commonly known by the French acronym FIBA (Fédération Internationale de Basketball), the International Basketball Federation is an association of national organisations which regulates international basketball competition. The organization was created on 18 June 1932 in Geneva, 2 years after the International Olympic Committee ( IOC) formally recognised the sport. Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur was its original name.
The Members
The following eight nations were the founding members: Argentina, Greece, Latvia, Portugal, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Romania, Italy. FIBA elected James Naismith (1861-1939), the inventor of basketball, as its Honorary President at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin.
The Headquarters
In 1956, the headquarters of the Federation moved to Munich and relocated to Geneva in 2002. The House of Basketball was inaugurated on 18 June 2013 in Mies, on the outskirts of Geneva, to celebrate its 81st anniversary. This represented a landmark moment and a major achievement in the life of the governing body of world basketball.Â
The Naismith Arena is an exhibition and event space of 1,000 square metres devoted to basketball lovers of all ages that seek to conserve and encourage the sport’s cultural heritage. It shows a wide selection of items from basketball, books and art, and it is a place to celebrate and recognise (Hall of Fame) those who make the game.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup
The FIBA Basketball World Cup has been run by FIBA since 1950 and the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup since 1953. Both games, which alternate with the Olympics, are still held every four years. In 1989, FIBA opened the door to Olympic competition by professionals in the United States, such as NBA teams.Â
From its initial days, the FIBA world cup has come a long way. So much so that basketball betting during the world cup reaches high among many other sports. The Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur became the Fédération Internationale de Basketball at this point but maintained its abbreviation as FIBA. So here is some more information about the FIBA World Cup.
World Cup History
Identified as the FIBA World Championship from 1950 until 2010, the International Basketball Federation’s signature event is the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
In 1950, the first-ever FIBA Basketball World Cup was held in Argentina, with the host nation winning against the USA in the final. The field has expanded exponentially since the first stage of the tournament in Buenos Aires, where 10 teams fought, and has expanded to a record 32 national teams for the 2019 edition.
On five occasions, Yugoslavia and the USA have been crowned world champions, the Soviet Union has three titles to its name, while Brazil and Spain have won the trophy twice.
The winners of the FIBA Basketball World Cup have been able to enjoy their crowning moment since 1998 by keeping aloft the Naismith Trophy, named after Dr James Naismith, the founder of basketball. The FIBA Basketball World Cup has been the subject of some of the greatest stars of international basketball, from Oscar Schmidt and Nikos Galis to Pau Gaso.
Highlights from the last FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019
- The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 was the 18th FIBA Basketball World Cup tournament for men’s national basketball teams. The event was held in China and rescheduled from 2018 to 2019. The tournament was decided to expand from 24 teams to 32.
- The competition also acted as a qualifier for the 2020 Summer Olympics, which featured the top two teams from each of the Americas and Europe, along with the host Japan and each of the best teams from Asia, Africa and Oceania. After formerly being part of Serbia and Montenegro and Czechoslovakia, Montenegro and the Czech Republic both made their first appearance as independent nations, while Poland marked its return for the first time since 1967, at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.Â
- The defending champions, the United States, had their worst World Cup result, losing to France in the quarter-finals and to Serbia in the subsequent classification game. The previous worst result for the United States was sixth in 2002. This was the first World Cup in which the semi-finals were not achieved by all three of the traditionally most powerful teams (The United States, Serbia / Yugoslavia and Russia / Soviet Union).
- After defeating Argentina in the final by 95-75, Spain won their second title. It was the second time Spain had reached a World Cup final and a second victory, although it would prove to be the second loss in three attempts for Argentina. For the second straight time, France went on to win the bronze medal after beating Australia.
The upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023
FIBA awarded the hosting rights to Philippines/Japan/Indonesia for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. This is the first time that it will be staged in more than one nation in the history of the sport.
The finalists for the event, due to take place in just under six years, were the Philippines /Japan /Indonesia and Argentina /Uruguay. The decision was taken by the Central Board of FIBA after the bidders gave final presentations to support their proposals to host the 19th edition of the largest competition in basketball. The Central Board voted unanimously in favour of the Philippines/ Japan/Indonesia nomination. The Group Phase will take place in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, followed by the Final Phase in the Philippine capital of Manila.
Naismith Trophy
In the lead-up to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, a newly built FIBA Basketball World Cup trophy was revealed.
Basketball’s ultimate award is made nearly completely out of gold for the first time in its history and includes a roll of honour naming all world champions. It also has a golden hoop in which the ‘Federation Internationale de Basketball Amateur’-the original name of FIBA is printed, a symbol that distinguishes it as an official trophy. Such features give it an enhanced sense of heritage and prestige.
In view of the change the FIBA Basketball World Cup itself has experienced to become greater than ever before, it is fitting. The event attracted a record 32 teams in 2019 and will retain the same configuration for 2023, the conclusion of a two-year qualifying cycle.
In the background of the 2017 introduction of FIBA’s Latest Competition Scheme, all trophies awarded to FIBA Continental Cup winners have also been re-designed. The trophy for the FIBA Basketball World Cup is 60 cm tall, 13 more than the previous one and ranks among the tallest sport trophies. The new FIBA Basketball World Cup trophy was modelled by Radiant and handcrafted by a silversmith, Thomas Lyte.
How to Qualify
The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 qualification follows the FIBA Men’s National Team Competition Structure, which lays out the course to all of the major men’s FIBA competitions.
The same guidelines have been introduced after its strong implementation in the lead-up to the last edition of the FIBA flagship event in 2019 to guarantee that audiences from all around the world enjoy frequent and exciting national team games.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifier format will remain unchanged, with six windows stretching 15 months across four regions in Africa, the Americas, Asia (including Oceania) and Europe.
With 80 national teams competing for a World Cup spot, the qualifiers will take place from November 2021 to February 2023. The first qualifying window will be played from 22-30 November 2021.
The path to the 2023 World Cup in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines started with the launch of the 2023 European Pre-Qualifiers FIBA Basketball World Cup in February 2020, which will qualify eight teams for the European Qualifiers.
Competition System
What’s at stake?
- For starters, international dominance in basketball, at least theoretically.
- Everyone knows the U.S. is the biggest power in the sport by far. Eleven out of the 15 players on the All-NBA roster this year are American. The U.S. has won six of the seven men’s gold medals, including the last three in a row since the Olympics began accepting NBA players in 1992. The last two World Cups, in 2010 and ’14, were also won by the US.Â
- Much of the finest American NBA stars are skipping the World Cup this year. At least that opens the possibility that the reign of the state will come to an end.
- The rise of popularity of basketball among other forms of sports betting is also evident. Bettors all across the world are involved in putting wagers during the World cup in anticipation to gain something. This makes the tournament even more exciting. Winissimo is one of the popular choices among the bettors to put such wagers with favourable odds.
Its importance for the future events
The Basketball World Cup is worth watching because of the Olympic spots on the line. Next summer’s tournament in Tokyo will have 12 teams. Right now, the only country with a guaranteed spot is Japan because it is the host. Everyone else, including the United States, needs to play their way in.
At the World Cup, seven Olympic berths will be determined, distributed over five regional regions. The top two finishers get a ticket to Tokyo from both Europe and the Americas. The number one in each of Africa, Asia and Oceania are the same.
That leaves four places for the Olympics. These will be selected next summer in four different wild-card competitions, just weeks before the Tokyo Games. Those winners will get into the Olympics. That’s cutting it close, though, which puts pressure on teams to win the title at the World Cup.