The German basketball players are not disturbed by the difficult World Cup draw. “The most important thing is that we are ready. It doesn’t matter who we play against. If you want to be on the podium, you have to win games,” said national coach Gordon Herbert.
The German team meets co-hosts Japan (25 August), Australia (27 August) and Finland (29 August) in the preliminary round at the World Cup (25 August to 10 September).
preliminary round in Japan
The games will take place in Okinawa, Japan. In order to qualify for the intermediate round, Germany must be at least second. There it would then go against the top two teams in Group F with Slovenia, Cape Verde, Georgia and Venezuela. The knockout round will then be played in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
“We absolutely have to go into the tournament with 100 percent against the strong opponents. But if we are fully concentrated, we should be able to progress in this group,” said NBA professional Daniel Theis. After bronze at the home European Championships last year, the selection of the German Basketball Federation also wants to win a medal at the World Cup. “The goal is to get on the podium and qualify for the Olympics,” said Herbert.
