Today's draw has begun the countdown to the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey. The 24 participating teams were drawn into four groups of 6 teams each. USA will face Croatia and Brazil. Turkey will play against Greece and Argentina against Serbia. Spain will be in the same group with France and Lithuania.
Group A: Serbia, Argentina, Australia, Jordan, Germany, Angola
Group B: Croatia, Brazil, Tunisia, Slovenia, Iran, USA
Group C: China, Turkey, Russia, Puerto Rico, Ivory Coast, Greece
Group D: Lithuania, Lebanon, France, Spain, Canada, New Zealand
The First Round will see a total of 60 games, in which each team faces the other 5 teams in its respective group. The four top placed teams from each group will advance to the Eighth Final Round, at which point the Championship continues in a standard knock-out format.
For more information visit turkey2010.fiba.com.
Quick Facts about the FIBA World Championship
Held every 4 years, the FIBA World Championship determines the world's top nation in men's basketball. The tournament was first held in 1950 in Argentina and the sixteenth edition will be played next year Turkey.
Seven different teams have been crowned World Champions. Leading the medal table are the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and the USA, all having won the Championship three times. Spain are defending the title they won in Japan in 2006, while Argentina are currently the world's best ranked basketball nation. The 2010 FIBA World Champion will automatically qualify for the 2012 Olympic Basketball Tournament in London.