FIBA announced today that their central board will meet this weekend in Spain for the first time in 2014, to make a decision on who will be the four countries, entering this summer’s FIBA World Cup as wild cards.

Canada is in the mix, along with 13 other countries….waiting on FIBA’s decision which will be made on February 1. The Official Draw of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup will take place on Monday 3 February.

The FIBA World Cup will be taking place in Spain August 30-September  14.

According to the release, the results at this past summer’s FIBA Americas don’t hold strong weight, rather Canada’s performance over the last few years is what will be taken into account, which is reflected in the rankings.

In addition, the factors found below (directly from FIBA) are what will help the board make their final decision.

It appears that the Sporting & Promotional Aspects category gives Canada strong ammo, due to the fact that basketball is Canada’s fastest growing sport among youth, coupled with the fact that Canadian talent has exploded on the NBA scene, which started with Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph in 2011.

Possibly the most important bargaining chip for Canada is in the form of players like Andrew Wiggins, Nik Stauskas, Tyler Ennis and more being drafted this June, and taking interest in basketball to ALL-TIME heights from coast-to-coast!

The impact that Canada’s presence at FIBA World championships will have on the country would be like no other, showcasing some of the world’s best talent on the international stage!

Canadian basketball fans…keep your fingers crossed.

#Can4Spain

 

FIBA Men Ranking in Brackets

• Greece (#5)
• Russia (#6)
• Turkey (#7)
• Brazil (#10)
• China (#12)
• Germany (#14)
• Nigeria (#18)
• Italy (#21) – Elected to withdraw
• Canada (#25)
• Venezuela (#28)
• Israel (#37)
• Finland (#39)
• Poland (#40)
• Qatar (#42)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina (#57)

 

 

Sporting and Promotional Aspects

 

– The popularity of basketball in the country

– The quality and sporting results of the national teams of the country

– The hosting or bidding for hosting of past FIBA events

– The impact of a participation at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in the country in view of the country’s basketball development

– The commitment of the best players from the country to participate at the FIBA Basketball World Cup

 

Economic Aspects

– The involvement of local television and corporate sector in the domestic and international basketball competitions

– The importance of the country’s market to FIBA’s commercial partners

– The importance of the country to the Organisers of the FIBA Basketball World Cup

 

Governance Aspects

– Compliance with the Internal Regulations and General Statutes of FIBA

– The quality of the work of the National Federation

– Governmental support to the National Federation

– Participation in FIBA and/or FIBA Zone activities, commissions, etc…