FIBA Central Board approves expansion of Women's World Cup 2026

MIES (Switzerland) - FIBA's Central Board convened today at the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball for the first time since its inaugural meeting in September 2019. The Central Board had not been able to meet in person due to the pandemic and members were warmly welcomed to FIBA headquarters on the shores of Lake Geneva. The Central Board along with FIBA HQ staff were also invited to a special function on Thursday night to celebrate the occasion.  
 
With a very busy calendar of events for 2022, including the Women's World Cup and three Continental Cups, the first meeting of the year had a full agenda. The following key topics were discussed:

FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 and Qualifying Tournaments

The Central Board heard reports on the recent FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 Qualifying Tournaments that were held in February in Serbia, Japan, the USA and the Dominican Republic. A progress report was also received on the ongoing preparations for the upcoming FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022. The draw for the highly anticipated event was recently confirmed in Sydney, Australia, and pre-ticket sales were launched earlier this month, with general public tickets going on sale on March 29.   

FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 and Qualifiers

Preparations continue for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 across the three host countries of the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. Reports were received on this progress along with the two Qualifier windows that have been played, the most recent in February. The next window will take place from June 27 to July 5. 
 
The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 also moved another step closer to becoming a reality earlier this month, with tickets for the global showcase in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia going on sale.

FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup's 2022

The Central Board received reports on the upcoming U17 World Cups, with the men's tournament taking place in Spain from July 2 to 10, and the women in Hungary, as part of the multi-host model, from July 9 to 17. Both draws for the men's and women's were confirmed this month in Malaga and Budapest. 

FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026

Following the recent review of the current women's competition system and the Executive Committee's decision to implement a new competition that will act as pre-qualifiers to the next World Cup or to the next Olympic Games, the Central Board has approved the proposed expansion of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 to 16 teams, and the roster of the Women's World Cup Qualifiers to 24 teams qualified from the respective Continental Cups 2025. These decisions are in line with FIBA's Women in Basketball strategic objective, with the aim of granting a larger number of National Federations meaningful and regular international competitions. The bidding process for the 2026 edition of the flagship women's event will open in the next weeks.

Club Competitions 

Updates were presented to the Central Board on the Basketball Champions League (BCL) sixth season, with Quarter-Finals starting on April 5. Status reports were also received on the current Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA) third season, with Quarter-Finals starting on April 6, and the Basketball Africa League, which tipped off on March 5 in Senegal.
 
A report was also given on the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2022 which was played for the first time in Africa, in Egypt, from February 11 to 13. It was also the first time in basketball history that a club competition featured teams from four different regional leagues. Flamengo, from Brazil, was crowned the winner. 

Impact of the situation in Ukraine

Following the recent decision by FIBA on Russian teams and officials, the Central Board approved the proposal to maintain the current protective measures in place until mid-May, when a new evaluation of the situation and appropriate decisions can be made. 

Safeguarding of players

The Central Board has approved the creation of the FIBA Safeguarding Council. The FIBA Safeguarding Council will act as an advisory body to FIBA on matters related to safeguarding and protection of vulnerable groups of basketball participants. It will also provide advice on helping to ensure a safe environment for all FIBA stakeholders is in place and address other relevant matters. HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, IOC member and President of the National Olympic Committee of Jordan, has been appointed as the Founding Chairman of the Safeguarding Council.

Other Matters

The Central Board heard from the FIBA Foundation on its current Basketball For Good programs and Cultural Heritage activities. The Foundation's planned projects for 2022 and activities linked to the FIBA 90th anniversary celebrations were also presented.

Progress reports were given on FIBA's current strategic priorities for the cycle: Empower National Federations, Women in Basketball and Enlarge FIBA Family.

The Central Board approved the FIBA Consolidated Financial Statements for 2021. 

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About FIBA 
FIBA (fiba.basketball) - the world governing body for basketball - is an independent association formed by 212 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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