ALTHOUGH the 2023 FIBA World Cup is still rolling on, 24 teams have found themselves on the outer, having been eliminated from contention after the first two rounds of play.

Although this means some disappointed countries are leaving early, the defeated sides have been ranked for the official classification. This carries importance as it has a lot to do with Olympic qualification for the 2024 Paris Games.

Remarkably sitting at the top of the eliminated teams is Spain, who suffered a three-point loss to Canada, which resulted in the team not advancing. It was a stirring result given the team sits atop the Men’s FIBA World Rankings, but came across the strongest Canada side in years.

Also surprisingly missing the quarterfinals were the Australian Boomers, who bowed out after losses to Germany and Slovenia over the first two rounds. Coming into the tournament as the third-ranked side in the world after a podium finish at the most recent Olympic Games, expectations were high for the Boomers, especially after adding some high-end talent.

However, the team from Down Under could not match it with the contenders, and have work to do ahead of the upcoming Olympics, which they qualified for by finishing as the highest-ranked Oceanic side, after New Zealand failed to make it out of the first round.

Another surprisingly low result in this tournament was France’s 18th place finish. France has been one of the better basketball sides over the past decade, but did not look up to scratch in the first round. As hosts of the Olympics next year, the team will need to shake things up in the next 12 months.

Despite being the youngest nation in the world, South Sudan overachieved a bit in its 17th ranked finish, above the likes of France, Japan and the Philippines. It has also booked a spot at the Olympics with the best finish of any African nation.

The classification also sees a number of sides cement a spot at the Olympic qualifiers, for which a date has yet to be announced.

Classification 9-32

9. Spain (qualified for OQTs)
10. Australia (qualified for Paris 2024 as the best-ranked team from Oceania)
11. Montenegro (qualified for OQTs)
12. Puerto Rico (qualified for OQTs)
13. Brazil (qualified for OQTs)
14. Dominican Republic (qualified for OQTs)
15. Greece (qualified for OQTs)
16. Georgia (qualified for OQTs)
17. South Sudan (qualified for Paris 2024 as the best-ranked team from Africa)
18. France (qualified for Paris 2024 as hosts)
19. Japan (qualified for Paris 2024 as the best-ranked team from Asia)
20. Egypt (qualified for OQTs)
21. Finland (qualified for OQTs)
22. New Zealand (qualified for OQTs)
23. Lebanon (qualified for OQTs)
24. Philippines (qualified for OQTs)
25. Mexico (qualified for OQTs)
26. Angola (qualified for OQTs)
27. Cote d’Ivoire (qualified for OQTs)
28. Cape Verde
29. China
30. Venezuela
31. Iran
32. Jordan