With the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on the horizon, get familiar with how this year's basketball tournament will work. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about the competition format.
When will the Olympic basketball tournament take place?
Basketball at the Paris Olympics will take place in two phrases. The group phase runs from Saturday, July 27 through Sunday, August 4. The knockout rounds will then follow from Tuesday, August 6 through Sunday, August 11.
Where will the Olympic basketball tournament be held in Paris?
Actually, much of the tournament will take place outside of Paris. All group phase games will be played at Pierre Mauroy Stadium, located in Lille, more than two hours from the capital city. Pierre Mauroy Stadium is most notably the home stadium of professional soccer club Lille OSC. During the knockout rounds, the basketball competition moves to the Bercy Arena in Paris.
How many teams qualify for the Olympic basketball tournament, and how is the competition structured?
At the Paris Olympics, the men's and women's tournaments will each have a total of 12 teams competing. Each country can have a maximum of 12 players on its roster, meaning that up to 288 total athletes will compete in Paris.
Both tournaments follow the same format: a group phase, followed by the knockout rounds.
Which countries have qualified for the Olympic basketball tournament?
The field is set for the men's and women's tournaments. The final four spots for the men were decided at Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in July.
Qualified Men's Teams (12)
Australia
Brazil
Canada
France
Germany
Greece
Japan
Puerto Rico
Serbia
South Sudan
Spain
United States
Qualified Women's Teams (12)
Australia
Belgium
Canada
China
France
Germany
Japan
Nigeria
Puerto Rico
Serbia
Spain
United States
How many groups are there in Olympic basketball, and how many teams are in each group?
The 12 teams in each tournament will be split into three groups, with four teams in each group.
What are the groups for the men's and women's Olympic basketball tournaments?
The Olympic draw took place on Tuesday, March 19. The groups for the men's and women's tournaments are listed below.
| Grp A | Grp B | Grp C |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | France | Serbia |
| Canada | Germany | South Sudan |
| Greece | Japan | United States |
| Spain | Brazil | Latvia |
| Grp A | Grp B | Grp C |
|---|---|---|
| China | Australia | Belgium |
| Puerto Rico | Canada | Germany |
| Serbia | France | Japan |
| Spain | Nigeria | United States |
How does the group phase work in Olympic basketball?
Each team will play the other three teams in its group and will earn two points for a win, one point for a loss, and zero points for a loss by forfeit.
At the end of the group phase, the top two teams in each group will automatically advance to the quarterfinals. Additionally, the two best third-place teams will also move on to the quarterfinals. All other teams are eliminated from the competition.
In the event of a tie in the standings between two teams in the same group, head-to-head results will be used as the tiebreaker. In the event of a tie between three or more teams, there is a list of further criteria that will be used to break the tie, starting with the highest point differential in games between the tied teams.
How do the knockout rounds work in Olympic basketball?
The knockout rounds begin with eight teams in the quarterfinals. A random draw will determine the matchups for the quarterfinals, with two important caveats:
- The two highest-ranked teams will be placed in the same pot and therefore end up on opposite sides of the bracket.
- Teams from the same group can't be drawn against each other in the quarterfinals.
From there, the tournament follows a standard single-elimination format. In the quarterfinal round, the winners advance to the semifinals and the losers are eliminated. In the semifinal round, the winners advance to the gold medal game and the losers go on to play in the bronze medal game.