The Rio Olympics are right around the corner. In less than a year, the biggest sporting event in the world will kick off, gathering elite athletes in every discipline, including basketball.
Here are the basketball teams that have already qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics
Eight national teams have already secured their places in the Rio Olympics basketball tournament, while the rest of the basketball world continues to battle for the remaining four spots.
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The U.S. has already secured a spot in the tournament thanks to winning the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain. Brazil is in as host nation. The rest of the world, however, will have to compete in regional tournaments to qualify. We already know the winners of FIBA Oceania and AfroBasket, and the top two teams from the FIBA Americas tournament are in. At EuroBasket, Spain qualified with a stunning overtime victory over France, and Lithuania joined them after defeated Serbia on Friday.
Regardless of which teams end up completing the field, USA Basketball will be the favorite to win it all. Since Mike Krzyzewski took over the team in 2006, they have lost only once in international competition and won gold at the past two Olympic Games. There are, however, some rising squads boasting NBA talent that could make it interesting.
Let’s see who has already qualified and which spots are still open.
Already qualified to the 2016 Rio Olympics:
USA: America dominated the FIBA World Cup to earn a spot in Rio despite not coming with some of the game's biggest stars. After stumbling in 2004, the U.S. bounced back to reclaim its place as the basketball power in the world by winning the next two Olympics. They are expected to make that three in a row.
Brazil: The host nation didn’t know whether it had a guaranteed spot until a few weeks ago, but FIBA granted the request. With plenty of NBA talent at its disposal and the support of its people, Brazil could make a run at a medal.
Nigeria: The winners of AfroBasket will play in the Olympics for the second time in a row. They beat the traditional African powerhouse, Angola, thanks to contributions from Trail Blazer Al-Farouq Aminu and tournament MVP Chamberlain Oguchi.
Australia: The Boomers beat New Zealand to earn their spot in Rio. Australia has not missed an Olympics game in men’s basketball since 1968 and have steadily improved, becoming a respectable squad that could soon have medal aspirations.
Venezuela: While the game ended rather controversially, Venezuela pulled off an upset against Canada in the FIBA Americas semifinals and are now locked into the 2016 Olympics next summer. They proceeded to beat Argentina in the championship game, although both teams were already guaranteed a spot.
Argentina: Because the FIBA Americas tournament sends two countries, Argentina’s 78-70 win against Mexico in the semifinals was the important win for them. They lost to Venezuela 76-71 in a championship game that was meaningless for an Olympics berth.
Spain: Led by Pau Gasol, Spain won an overtime thriller against host France in the EuroBasket semifinals to earn their spot. Gasol scored 40 points as Spain rallied in the fourth quarter and then again in overtime to secure the victory in Lille. Spain earned qualification through EuroBasket despite missing several top players, including Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio, Serge Ibaka, Juan Carlos Navarro and Jose Calderon.
Lithuania: They were never overly impressive during EuroBasket, but Jonas Valanciunas’ crew always did just enough to win tight games. The last one was a 67-64 victory over previously-undefeated Serbia in the semifinals.
Spots still left:
EuroBasket is nearly complete, but the Olympic spots are set. Spain and Lithuania have automatic bids after advancing to the final. France, Serbia, Italy, Greece and Czech Republic will go to the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament next summer.
The FIBA Asia Championship will send its champion to the Olympics. The regional tournament will be held in China starting on Sept. 23. Sixteen teams will participate but the winner will likely be one of China, Iran or the Philippines.
The FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament is the last chance for squads that didn’t earn a direct bid through regional competition to qualify to the Olympics. Teams that finish third through seventh in EuroBasket, second to fourth in FIBA Americas, and second to fourth in Asia Basket will join New Zealand, Angola, Tunisia, Senegal, Puerto Rico and three wild card selections in a battle for three Olympic spots. The FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament will start on July 5, 2016.
Canada and Mexico will represent FIBA Americas after semifinal losses. France, Serbia, Italy, Greece and the Czech Republic will also compete after falling short of the EuroBasket championship game.
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