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As Spain and France defeated their opponents in the quarterfinal games in the FIBA Basketball World Cup on Tuesday and Wednesday, all the seven teams that claimed early qualification for the 2020 Summer Olympics were confirmed: Iran, Nigeria, Australia, Argentina, USA, Spain and France.
According to FIBA rules, only the top-ranking teams of each region in the World Cup could get Olympic tickets and the quota of each region goes as follows: one for Asia, one for Africa, one for Oceania, two for America and two for Europe.
Australian players celebrate after defeating Czech Republic 82-70 in the FIBA Basketball World Cup game in east China city Shanghai, September 11, 2019. /VCG Photo
Australia was the earliest winner as it was only them and New Zealand coming from Oceania. The Boomers made the second round as No. 1 of Group H with three straight wins while the Tall Blacks only ranked third in Group F, quitting the competition early.
USA players listen to head coach Gregg Popovich in the game against France in south China city Dongguan, Spetember 11, 2019. /VCG Photo
Argentina players celebrate after defeating Serbia in the FIBA Basketball World Cup game in south China city Dongguan, September 10, 2019. /VCG Photo
America had a similar case. USA and Argentina are the only two teams from the region making the quarterfinals and thus are qualified for the Olympics.
Iranian players celebrate after defeating the Philippines in Beijing, September 8, 2019. /VCG Photo
Nigerian players compete for the ball in the game against China in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in south China city Guangzhou, September 8, 2019. /VCG Photo
Asian and African teams though were not the last ones confirming the result, as they definitely had the most intense competition. As neither region saw teams make it out of the groups, the 17-32 Classification Round became the battlefield for Olympic tickets. In the end, Iran and Nigeria won the qualification after counting scores differences.
French players talk with each other in the game against USA in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in south China city Dongguan, September 11, 2019. /VCG Photo
Spanish players their win against Poland in the game in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in east China city Shanghai, September 10, 2019. /VCG Photo
Five European teams – France, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, and Serbia - made the quarterfinals and after three games, France and Spain enter the semifinals, carrying the passes for Tokyo next year.
There are still four spots left for teams to compete for the 2020 Summer Olympics. So far the contenders include Lithuania, Serbia, Germany, Greece, Brazil and Canada. Get ready, it will be an uphill battle.