China land favourable 2023 basketball World Cup draw with Puerto Rico, Serbia and South Sudan in group
- China handed games against Puerto Rico, Serbia and South Sudan at Saturday’s draw in Quezon City
- Reigning champions Spain to play Iran, Ivory Coast and Brazil in Jakarta with the US up against Jordan, Greece and New Zealand
China’s men’s basketball team have been handed a favourable group-stage draw alongside Puerto Rico, Serbia and South Sudan at this summer’s FIBA World Cup.
The draw took place on Saturday evening in Quezon City, the Philippines, where China will play all three of their group B games.
Making their 10th appearance at the showcase event, China will start their tournament against world No 6 Serbia on August 26, with the European side expected to boast Denver Nuggets all-star centre Nikola Jokic.
Ranked 27th in the world, China will play South Sudan – the second lowest-ranked team in the draw – two days later.
The seven-time Asian Games winners will then face world No 20 Puerto Rico – the lowest-ranked team in pot 4, which also included Canada, Venezuela and Montenegro – on August 28.
China, who hosted the 2019 edition of the tournament, failed to emerge from the group stage last time out – despite winning their opening game against Ivory Coast – following back-to-back losses against Poland and Venezuela.
