Jakarta to Host FIBA Asia Cup Qualification Matches
Jakarta. The draw for the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup main qualifiers was held in Bengaluru, India, on Saturday. A total of 24 countries will battle it out in the qualification stage for Asia's biggest basketball tournament.
This was the first time the Asia Cup will use a new qualification format, a home and away system that has been agreed upon by FIBA member countries.
Erick Thohir, the head of the Jakarta Asian Games organizing committee last year, and now a member of the FIBA Central Board and an IOC member candidate, said Indonesia will be in group A with the Philippines, Thailand and South Korea, teams with plenty of regional and Asian successes.
The home and away system will give a chance for Indonesian supporters to cheer their team on home grounds.
Indonesia will play at home three times: this year between Nov. 25 and Dec. 3, and next year between Feb. 17 and Feb 25 and between Nov. 20 and Nov. 27.
"I will work with the Indonesian Basketball Association to seek sponsors and media partners for the Indonesian basketball team. This qualification stage could also be a warm-up for Indonesia to host the FIBA World Cup 2023 with the Philippines and Japan," Erick, who became the first Asian owner of an NBA team when he bought the Philadelphia 76ers in 2012, said in Jakarta on Monday.
The 24 countries in the Asia Cup qualifiers will be divided into six groups. The top two teams of each group will go to the next round.
Six countries that make it to the third classification round will fight for four slots in the finals.
FIBA will inspect the match venue in Indonesia, the Britama Arena-Mahaka Square in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, in July.
Here are the six qualifying groups:
Group A:
The Philippines
Indonesia
Thailand
South Korea
Group B:
Chinese Taipei
Japan
Malaysia
China
Group C:
Australia
Hong Kong
New Zealand
Guam
Group D:
Bahrain
Lebanon
India
Iraq
Group E:
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Qatar
Iran
Group F:
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Sri Lanka
Palestine