‍TORONTO, Ont. (February 16, 2021) - Canada Basketball announced Wednesday the 24 athletes named to the Senior Men's National Team preliminary roster ahead of the second window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.

"Following a strong team performance during the first window, we're excited to travel to Santo Domingo next week and get back to work," said Nate Bjorkgren, Associate Head Coach, Senior Men’s National Team.  

“Roster consistency and continuity are key for both the short and long-term success of our program," Bjorkgren said. "With the majority of our players returning for the second window, it allows us to build and continue to get stronger as we prepare to face Dominican Republic and U.S. Virgin Islands.”

As a result of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the second window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers will be held in a bubble format to ensure the health and safety of all participants with both of Canada’s games in the window to be played in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Canada will face the hosts Dominican Republic on Saturday, February 26 (5:00 PM ET) followed by U.S. Virgin Islands on Sunday, February 27 (2:00 PM ET), live on Sportsnet.

The final 12-player rosters will be announced following the technical meetings prior (approx. 24 hours) to each game.

The 24 players attending training camp and participating in the second window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers are part of a broader Senior Men’s National Team player pool that has committed to representing Canada internationally over the course of the next several years in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.  

Eighty national teams will play games across six qualifying windows to secure their place among the 30 teams who will join hosts Japan and the Philippines in the 32-team edition of FIBA's flagship event. 

In the Americas region, 16 teams will face off over two rounds with the three best teams from each group, and the fourth-placed team qualifying for the FIBA Basketball 2023 World Cup.  For additional information on the format of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers, click here.

Canada is in Group C for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers and will face Dominican Republic, US Virgin Islands and Bahamas.  Canada swept its two-game series against the Bahamas in the first window of the competition and currently is tied atop the group with Dominican Republic with a 2-0 record. 

The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, set to take place from August 25 to September 10, 2023, will see the Group Phase take place in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. The Final Phase will follow in the Philippines capital city of Manila.