The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has officially determined the group stages for the 2026 U-17 Basketball World Cup, which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, from June 27 to July 5.
The FIBA website stated on Thursday that the 16 participating teams were divided into four groups of four teams each.
The draw placed Italy, the United States, France, and Japan in Group A. Meanwhile, Group B was filled by Cameroon, Canada, Lithuania, and China.
Meanwhile, Group C consists of New Zealand, Slovenia, Puerto Rico, and host Türkiye.
Group D brings together Venezuela, Australia, Serbia and Ivory Coast.
All participating teams are confirmed to advance to the knockout or final phase.
In the round of 16, the match system will use a single knockout format.
Teams from group A will face teams from group B based on their final group stage rankings, namely first place against fourth place, and second place against third place.
A similar scheme also applies to teams from group C and group D.
The United States came into this tournament as defending champions.
Uncle Sam's country has never been absent from the U-17 Basketball World Cup and has never suffered a defeat since the inaugural edition in 2010, with a record of seven consecutive championship titles.
The draw was conducted by Turkish Basketball Federation Vice President Harun Erdenay, along with Turkish national team legend and FIBA U-17 Basketball World Cup Ambassador Semih Erden.
The event was also attended by the Deputy Chairman of the FIBA Competition Subcommittee for Youth National Teams, Peter Bodnar.
The 2026 U-17 Basketball World Cup will be the eighth edition of the event and is expected to be a stage for the birth of future stars of world basketball.
