This also has the same format as the Americas and the Africas, so nothing new on that front. This will also be the second straight World Cup hosted by an Asian nation as 2019’s took place in China.
Japan, The Philippines, and Indonesia are hosts, and normally they’d all automatically qualify for the cup. Because Indonesia’s world team hasn’t been competitive, they had to first qualify for the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup, which will now be played in 2022 due to COVID. Japan and The Philippines are automatically in, and Indonesia is to be determined, but they’re all scheduled to participate in World Cup qualifiers anyway.
In the 2019 World Cup, Asia/Oceania sent eight teams over: Australia, who finished fourth, New Zealand, Iran, China, South Korea, Jordan, Japan, and The Philippines. The 2023 groups, of which eight teams will emerge by World Cup, are as follows:
- Group A: New Zealand (25), South Korea (29), Philippines (31), India (78)
- Group B: Australia (3), China (28), Japan (35), Chinese Taipei (68)
- Group C: Jordan (39), Lebanon (56), Indonesia (85), Saudi Arabia (87)
- Group D: Iran (22), Kazakhstan (72), Syria (82), Bahrain (102)
Australia vs. Everybody: After years of falling short, the Aussies finally got their first major medal, winning the Olympic bronze medal in the 2021 games following a terrific run, snapping an 0-4 streak semifinal shortcomings. In 2019, they made their first World Cup semi, again finishing fourth, but it was their best showing in history. They’re good enough to win it all, and now that they’ve had a taste, we’ll see how it translates to this world stage.
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