BASKETBALL: The Australian Boomers’ road to the FIBA World Cup will begin in Adelaide with the city set to host the first home game of the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers against Japan on Monday 27 November from 7.00 pm local time.
Australian fans will have more opportunities than ever to see the Boomers in action with the national team now qualifying through Asia for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Qualifying games will be held in Australia consistently over the next 16 months and the Boomers will compete in three windows over a home/away series through November 2017 - July 2018 in their first steps towards the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Their schedule is as follows:
Window 1- November 24, 2017: Chinese Taipei vs. Australia (AWAY)
November 27, 2017: Australia vs. Japan at Adelaide
Window 2- February 22, 2018: Australia vs. Philippines TBA
February 25, 2018: Australia vs. Chinese Taipei TBA
Window 3- June 29, 2018: Japan vs. Australia (AWAY)
July 2, 2018: Philippines vs. Australia (AWAY)
Following the six clashes in the first three windows of the qualifiers, the top three teams will face the top three teams from Group D (Iraq, Qatar, Kazakhstan and Iran) in the next phase of the qualification process in a newly formed Group E.
Points carry over from the first six clashes into the Group E games which will be held in September 2018, November 2018 and February 2019 and from there, the top three teams will head to the FIBA World Cup in September 2019 in China.
The Boomers are expected to field a similar team that claimed the gold medal at the FIBA Asia Cup in August, finishing that tournament undefeated with six consecutive wins.
“This is an exciting time to be a Boomers fan with more chances than ever before to see our national team in action,” said Basketball Australia Acting CEO, Greg Hill.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring the Boomers back to Adelaide where they have an avid supporter base and it will be the first time they have played in the city for almost a decade.
“We look forward to working with Guy Hedderwick and Titanium Security Arena and thank them for their support of the Boomers.”
“It’s great to have such an important game for Australian basketball being played here in Adelaide,” added Mark Hubbard, Basketball SA CEO.
“Hosting a FIBA qualifying game will provide an opportunity for our passionate South Australian basketball community to watch the stars of our game.
“We’d love to see everyone get behind them and make sure the Arena is at capacity to help the Boomers get the win.”
For those unable to attend the game, a landmark deal between FOX Sports and FIBA will see every game of the Boomers lead-up to the 2019 FIBA World Cup as well as the World Cup itself broadcast on Foxtel.
Stay tuned for updates on the location of Australia’s February games against the Philippines and Chinese Taipei in the coming weeks.
EVENT INFORMATION:
2017 FIBA World Cup Qualifier:
Adelaide, South Australia
Titanium Security Arena
27 November 2017 at 7.00 pm
Australia v Japan
You can purchase tickets here>>>
Basketball Australia
