So close you can almost hear it: One-year countdown to FIBA EuroBasket 2022 commences

 

The final countdown to FIBA EuroBasket 2022 commences with a bang as today marks exactly one year to the initial tip-off of Europe’s flagship basketball competition, set to take place from September 1-18, 2022. Every edition of the FIBA EuroBasket commands worldwide attention, with Europe’s brightest stars taking to the floor to proudly represent their respective nations and battle it out for the coveted trophy. However, the 41st edition of the event, hosted by Czech Republic, Georgia, Germany and Italy, may be the most eagerly anticipated in the glorious history of the competition, as five years will have elapsed since the 2017 coronation of reigning champions Slovenia in Istanbul. The cities of Prague, Tbilisi, Cologne and Milan will play host to one group each, with the top 16 teams converging to Berlin for the Final Phase. The German capital of course provided the stage for one of the four groups in 2015 and the last game there saw Dirk Nowitzki, now a FIBA EuroBasket 2022 ambassador, make his farewell appearance with Germany. In keeping with the tradition of past editions, FIBA EuroBasket 2022 will also have a specifically designed official game ball, which was unveiled on the one-year-to-go milestone. The ball was jointly designed by FIBA and Molten and is based on the BG5000, which has been used in FIBA international games since August 2019. The special design embodies the event’s concept of transmitting basketball to the world and is made up of 10 different digital icons to express how the emotion and the fans’ excitement are spread around the world. The official game ball will also feature a new surface texture that helps give an ideal grip even in contact with sweat or moisture, and its foam concentration has increased by 35 percent to make the ball both softer and easier to handle. FIBA EuroBasket 2022 will get underway with Group A and Group B action, in Tbilisi and Cologne respectively, on September 1 while the Milan-based Group C and Group D in Prague will tip off a day later. Tickets for the games in both Cologne and Berlin are already available, with tickets in other venues set to go on sale soon.