Naismith Trophy appearances at World Cup Qualifiers in February

MIES (Switzerland) - The biggest prize in international basketball, the Naismith Trophy, will be put on display at various games in this month's FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.

Qualifying games for the 32-team World Cup, which is to be staged in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines, will be played in Asia, the Americas, Africa and Europe from February 24 to 28.

The Naismith Trophy will be on show at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Manila, the Philippines, when the second window of Qualifiers tips off. National teams playing in the Asian Qualifiers in Manila during that time include New Zealand, India, Korea and the Philippines. 

Fans filling the seats at the Ano Liosia Olympic Hall in Athens to watch Greece host Turkey can also see the trophy that will be lifted by winners of the World Cup.

The two European powerhouses have yet to win the World Cup, though each have reached the Final in recent times. Greece stunned the USA in the Semi-Finals of the 2006 World Cup in Japan before falling to Spain in the title game, while Turkey lost to the Americans in the Final when they hosted the 2010 World Cup in Istanbul.

 
The Naismith Trophy can be gazed upon by fans when Italy squares off against Iceland in Bologna at the PalaDozza Arena. Italy, a Group Phase host of FIBA EuroBasket 2022, played at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China three years ago and are keen to make it to the next edition. Iceland are attempting to make their first World Cup appearance.

Slovenia fans, who are dreaming of seeing their team lift the title after the Luka Doncic-led national team came up just short of the Olympic Gold Medal Game last summer in Tokyo, can sneak a peek at the Naismith Trophy when they host Finland in Koper, in the European Qualifiers at the Bonifika Arena.

The trophy will also make studio appearances while in Slovenia and the Philippines and will be taken to the headquarters of FIBA's Global Partners Smart and J9.

The Qualifiers are being played from November 2021 to February 2023 with 80 national teams competing for a spot in the World Cup. The next window will tip-off in late June, taking teams one step closer to this coveted prize and lifting the Naismith Trophy high.

FIBA