Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the basketball brackets have been set. There are three groups — group A, B, and C — with four teams each.
Team USA will be in group C, along with Serbia, South Sudan and the winner of the Puerto Rico Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Mexico, Puerto Rico, Lithuania, Italy, Bahrain and the Ivory Coast are all competing at this tournament, with the winner joining Group C.
Meanwhile, Group B includes Germany, France, Japan and the winner of the Lativa Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Georgia, Philippines, Brazil, Montenegro, Cameroon, and Latvia will all compete for this spot.
Finally, Group A features Australia, Canada, the winner of the Spain Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the winner of the Greece Olympic Qualifying Tournament, via the Associated Press. Spain, Lebanon, Poland, Finland, Angola and Bahamas will all compete at the Spain qualifying tournament, and Greece, Croatia, New Zealand, Slovenia, Egypt and the Dominican Republic will all compete at the Greece qualifying tournament.
During the Olympics, each team will play in three Group Stage games. The top-two teams from each group and the two best third-place teams will then get to advance to the Quarterfinals, for a shot at the gold medal.
Team USA will be the favorite to take home Olympic Gold in Paris this summer. The United States has won the gold in men’s basketball in each of the last four Olympic Games. The last time they lost was when they finished third at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and Argentina took the gold.
Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images
The United States basketball team is expected to be star-studded for the Olympics this summer. Multiple star NBA players have expressed their desire to be on the team, including legends like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid.
In women’s basketball, Team USA is also in Group C, where they are joined by Belgium, Japan and Germany. Group B holds Australia, Canada, France and Nigeria, and Group A includes Spain, Serbia, Puerto Rico and China. Since their Olympic Qualifying Tournaments have already been held, all three groups are fully determined.
The U.S. women have won seven straight Olympic Gold medals in the basketball tournament, and will aim for their eighth straight.
The Paris Olympic basketball competition will begin on July 27. The men’s quarterfinals will begin on August 6th, and the women’s quarterfinals begin on August 7. The men’s gold medal championship game will take place on August 10, and the women’s will occur on August 11.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.