With Campazzo in the lead, Argentina defeated Panama on 3 July, at the end of the first phase. AP Photo / Arnulfo Franco
Twelve teams, two zones and seven tickets up for grabs for the Men’s Basketball World Cup in Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia, which will take place from 25 August to 10 September 2023. Qualification for the Americas will open its second and final phase this Thursday and the Argentine team will begin the journey of the final stretch in search of a place in the most important event in the FIBA world.
The biancoazzurra team is well positioned to face the action of the Group Ewhich integrates with Venezuela Y Panamawith whom he has already played the first stage, e Canada, Dominican Republic Y Bahamas, who will be their rivals in the decisive round. With six games of advantage for the team led by Nestore Garcia and still nothing defined, it is worth remembering what has happened so far in the competition and reviewing how it will be decided which countries will get the passage to the ecumenical tournament.
The qualifiers for the American World Cup began in November 2021, with 16 selected divided into four groups. The initial phase consisted of three windows, in which each team played two games. Although the regulation stipulated that each country had to play one at home and one as a guest against their three rivals; Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the November and February windows were sounded at individual venues.
The top three in each zone, twelve in total, are advanced; among them, Argentina. The national team has finished second in group A, with 11 points and a record of five wins and one loss. it had the same numbers Venezuela, who took first place in the area because he finished with a better difference in points in the duels played against Albicelestes. They won 71-58 in the first, on February 25 in Buenos Aires, and lost 69-66 in the second, on July 30 in Puerto La Cruz, in which the Argentines overcame a handicap of 14 units.
The blue and black and white team also won the two matches against Paraguay (93-67 and 82-43, on 26 and 27 November in the Argentine capital) and the two against Panama (65-58 on February 26 in Buenos Aires and 88-77 in Panama on July 3, in his last appearance at that stage).
For the second round were added Argentina, Venezuela and Panama, the third classified by the A. Canada, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamasthe first three of C, and formed Group E. Meanwhile, Brazil, Uruguay Y Colombia (from B) e United States of America, Mexico Y Puerto Rico (of the D) joined the F.
At this last stage, the teams reported the results of the first round. For this reason the Argentine team will start third in the area, behind Canada, unbeaten with six wins in as many appearances, and Venezuela; and will only face his three new rivals, against whom he will play one home match and another away match. Behind appear Dominicans (record 4-2) and Panamanians and Bahamians (both with 2-4).
The first match for Facundo Campazzo and his companions will be this Thursday, at 23:40 in our country, as a guest, against Canada at the Victoria Arena, with the television of TyC Sport. And on Monday they will play in Falkland Islands Sports Center of Mar del Plata in front of the Bahamas, at 21:40
The next window will be played in November and Argentina will face the Dominican Republic on the 10th and the Caribbean team on the 13th, both as guests and in venues to be confirmed. Meanwhile, in February next year, it will close with two local matches, the 24th against Canada and the 27th against the Dominicans, always in scenarios yet to be defined.
The top three of each group and the best fourth will keep the seven direct tickets for the World Cup.
The 12 chosen by García
The Argentine coach announced on Monday the squad of twelve players who went to Victoria on the same day for the first duel of the window. Those chosen to face Canada this Thursday are point guard Facundo Campazzo, Nicolás Laprovíttola and Giuseppe Vildoza; accompanying persons Leandro Bolmaro, Carlos Delfino and Nicolás Brussino; forward Gabriel Deck, Patricio Garino e Giovanni Paolo Valet; the wing of the pivot Tommaso Chapero; and pins Marcos Delía e Tayavek Gallizzi.
Giovanni Francesco Fernandez Y Maxim Fjellerupwho were among the 14 originally called, were out of love with this first engagement.
The Argentine team held a concentration of over two weeks on the Atlantic coast, as part of the preparation for the qualifying matches and the AmeriCup, the other great commitment of this 2022, which will be played from 2 to 11 September in Brazil.
He first settled in Bahía Blanca, where he trained at the Dow Centerthe NBA-style complex designed by Pepper Sánchez, one of the emblems of the Golden Generation, one of the most modern and complete high-performance centers in Latin America. And then he moved to Mar del Plata, to complete training at the Islas Malvinas Sports Center.
The national team wants to qualify for the World Cup for the 15th time and play the tournament for the 10th consecutive time. His last absence was in Colombia 1982, which he missed after finishing third at Sudamericano de Montevideo the previous year. His best result was the title of the inaugural edition, Buenos Aires 1950. In addition, he was a finalist in Indianapolis 2002in which he lost 84-77 with Yugoslavia in the final, and two years ago, in Chinese 2019when he fell 95-75 to Spain in the duel for the title.
Source: Clarin
