Strong showings in World Cup Qualifiers see top 16 remain same in latest FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike

MIES, Switzerland - The FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike, has been updated and the teams at the top remain the same after putting on strong performances in the third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers.

In fact the top 16 is as it was after the February window, reflecting the quality and consistency of these teams in the global pecking order of men's national team basketball.

Click here to view the full FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike.

The USA suffered their first loss of the Americas Qualifiers at the hands of Mexico, but bounced back to beat Cuba and retain control of the number 1 spot. Spain and France, who both went 2-0 in the third window of the European Qualifiers, remain in 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

Turkey is the one team moving up the order in the top 20, leapfrogging Dominican Republic into 17th place after a pair of convincing wins over Ukraine and Sweden that guaranteed their progression to the Second Round of the Qualifiers. The Caribbean nation drops to 18th as a result of a lopsided defeat at Canada and being edged out at home by the Bahamas.

The Czech Republic, one of the big surprises in the European Qualifiers, climbs up to overtake Iran at 24th following a pair of home triumphs against Finland and Bulgaria.

Montenegro, on the back of comfortable wins over Belarus and European champions Slovenia to punch their ticket to the Second Round of the Qualifiers, jump up two spots to just outside the top 30, at 31st.

The big movers and shakers in this latest edition of the FIBA World Ranking Men have been teams that performed well in Pre-Qualifiers for Continental Cups 2021 in the Americas and Asia, as well as at the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries 2018.

Guyana moved up 17 places to 95th in the world after winning all four of their games in Group A of the FIBA AmeriCup 2021 Caribbean Pre-Qualifier. Antigua were rewarded for compiling the exact same 4-0 mark in Group B by moving up six spots to 75th, while Barbados' 3-1 mark saw them jump from 97th to 86th.

Malta claimed a maiden European European Small Countries and in doing so also broke inside the top 100, moving up 14 places to 99th. There were considerable bumps for the teams that finished behind them, with third-placed Ireland climbing nine spots to 115th, while Gibraltar's fourth-place finish was handsomely rewarded with an increase of 13 places, up to 122nd.

In Asia, Sri Lanka (+13 places, up to 140th) and Saudi Arabia (+3 places, up to 123rd) were rewarded for booking their places in the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Pre-Qualifiers in sub-zone competitions.

The FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike, is updated following every window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers. It takes into consideration rating points of games played in top official FIBA competitions and their Qualifiers during an 8-year period.

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About FIBA
FIBA (fiba.basketball) - the world governing body for basketball - is an independent association formed by 213 National Basketball Federations throughout the world. It is recognized as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

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