By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Until recently missing the FIBA World Cup, also meant you had no chance to play in the Olympics. However, this changed in September, with an announcement that was lost inside the Eurobasket action.
Per the press release: “12 teams that do not survive the Second Round of the 2023 World Cup European Qualifiers will be among the 40 eligible national sides to take part in one of the Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (Pre-OQT) to be held next year. Four other teams will be eligible from the EuroBasket Pre-Qualifiers Second Round”.
Out of the 40 teams which will complete the pre-Olympic Qualifying tournaments – the rest coming from the other FIBA zones – five will have the chance to qualify for the Olympic Qualifying tournaments.
“Five countries will make it out of the pre-OQTs and advance to the 24-team OQT field. They will join 16 teams that will be in the OQTs, irrespective of region and based on the World Cup rankings (finishes), as well as three other teams based on the World Cup rankings – the next best-ranked teams from Africa, the Americas, and Asia”, clarified the press release.
The four Olympic Qualifying tournaments will give to each winner a ticket to Paris.
While there’s no schedule yet for the pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournaments or an exact format announced, the games are expected to be near or parallel to the games of the FIBA World Cup 2023.