Canada Basketball moves up to 21st in latest FIBA rankings

Despite not having many of its best players and failing to advance past the initial group stage, Canada has moved up two spots to 21st in the latest FIBA rankings release.

If you’re looking for some slight consolation, the difficulty they faced in getting out of their group is highlighted by Australia moving up to third as a result of their fourth place finish, while Lithuania and Germany — the other two nations to defeat Canada at the World Cup — lie in eighth and 18th, respectively.

Spain, led by Toronto Raptors centre Marc Gasol, closed the gap on top-ranked United States by winning the tournament.

Also of note is the fact that all 24 teams for the final qualifying opportunity for the Olympics have been confirmed, Canada standing as one of seven teams from The Americas, followed by three teams each from Africa and Asia, and 11 from Europe.

The teams listed in the tweet will be divided into four separate tournaments comprising of six teams each, with only the winner of each tourney advancing to join the eight other confirmed teams at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

14 of the 24 nations that will participate in the qualifying tournaments including Brazil, Puerto Rico, Greece, Lithuania, Italy and Germany currently rank above Canada, underlining just how difficult the final path will be with or without its best talent.

Several countries are currently in the bidding process to host the qualifying tournament to be held from June 23-28, 2020, with Greece, Lithuania and Serbia expected to be among the frontrunners.

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