The countdown is on!!

KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic - With less than a year to go until the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women in the Czech Republic, it's time to discover who will meet whom in the early stage of the championship.
The draw for the first round will be held here on Tues., Nov. 24 at 11:30 a.m. local time (5:30 a.m. ET).

A number of players, coaches and national federation representatives will be present as well as FIBA and Local Organizing Committee officials, representatives from the host cities and several former Czechoslovakia World Championship medal winners.

The 16 teams will be divided into four groups of four for the first round. In the hat for the draw are Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Brazil, CANADA, China, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Japan, Korea, Mali, Russia, Senegal, Spain and the U.S.

The tournament will be played in the Czech Republic in the cities of Karlovy Vary (final round), Ostrava and Brno (first and second rounds) between Sept. 23 and Oct. 3.

The draw can be seen live on www.fiba.com and will also be broadcast on Czech Television. The official event website czechrepublic2010.fiba.com will be launched on the day of the draw.

Competition Format

There is a total of 24 games in the first round, in which each team faces the other three teams in its respective group. The three top placed teams will advance to the eighth final round, consisting of two groups of six teams. The top four teams of those two groups will advance to the quarter-final round that will be played in a standard knockout format.

Quick Facts about the FIBA World Championship for Women

Held every four years, the FIBA World Championship for Women determines the world's top nation in women's basketball. The first edition was played in 1953 in Santiago de Chile. The 2010 tournament will be the championship's 16th version.

First time winners Australia are the reigning champions. Brazil, which also has one gold medal is the only other nation besides the U.S. (seven gold
medals) and the Soviet Union (s gold medals) to have won the championship.

The 2010 FIBA World Champion will automatically qualify for the 2012 Olympic Basketball Tournament for Women in London.

(information provided by FIBA)