By: Madarang, Lei Ann
The seventh edition of the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup is set to take place from June 29 to July 7, 2024, in Istanbul, Türkiye. The draw for the competition, held on March 27, unveiled the four groups of four teams each, setting the stage for an exhilarating tournament.
There were four groups of four teams (countries) each from the 16 teams. Group A has Spain, Lithuania, Philippines, and Puerto Rico. Group B has China, USA, France, and Guinea. Group C has Argentina, Türkiye, New Zealand, and Italy. Lastly, Group D has Egypt, Germany, Canada, and Australia.
A single-elimination set up in place from the Round of 16 onwards will be used by all 16 competing teams in the event to move on to the Final Phase of the competition.
Based on the ranking of these groups (1st vs 4th – 2nd vs 3rd), the teams from Group A will face the teams from Group B and that will be the same from the teams in Group C which will face the teams from Group D.
The USA, which are the reigning champions, will be aiming for their seventh consecutive U17 World Cup crown. Since the competition launched in 2010, the USA have not only won every trophy that has come to them, but they haven’t experienced losing throughout the competition’s history.
Türkiye’s National Team great Kerem Tunceri executed the draw. There were also special guest who attended the event and they were FIBA President Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani, FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis, FIBA Europe President Jorge Garbajosa, Mr. Hidayet Turkoglu, President of the Turkish Basketball Federation and Mr. Osman Askin Bak, Turkish Minister of Youth and Sports.
As excitement builds for the 2024 edition of the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup, all eyes will be on Istanbul, where the next generation of basketball stars will compete for international glory.
