St. John’s to host Canada’s final two qualifying games for basketball World Cup

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Canada will play its two final qualifying games for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup at the Mile One Centre in St. John’s, N.L.

Canada Basketball announced the venue in a release on Tuesday.

The Canadians will face Chile on Feb. 21 before taking on Venezuela on Feb. 24 to conclude the Americas qualifiers.

“The new FIBA qualification system has allowed us to bring the national team to Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast,” said Glen Grunwald, president and chief executive officer of Canada Basketball. “After successfully hosting games in Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa and Laval, we’re excited to have the opportunity to come to St. John’s in February and finish the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers with a pair of wins.”

Through eight games, Canada sits atop Group F with a 7-1 record followed by Venezuela (7-1), Brazil (6-2), Dominican Republic (5-3), U.S. Virgin Islands (2-6) and Chile (1-7).

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The three highest-placed teams from each group and the best fourth placed team between Group E and Group F will qualify for the 2019 World Cup.

Canada took another step closer to qualifying for the World Cup with a pair of victories in September. Canada defeated No. 11 ranked Brazil 85-77 at Place Bell in Laval before picking up a crucial road win over Chile for their sixth consecutive victory.

Canada next visits Venezuela on Nov. 30 in a battle for the group’s top spot, then will head to Brazil for a Dec. 3 game.

China will host next year’s World Cup between Aug. 31 and Sept. 15, 2019. Seven teams from that tournament will qualify directly for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The Canadian Press