Wanda Presents FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Draw

Wanda Group is presenting FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 draw on March 16th. The event will take place in front of a sell-out crowd of 8,000 spectators at Shenzhen Bay Arena.

Saturday's star-studded show - headlined by global sporting icon Kobe Bryant, World Cup Ambassador Yao Ming and American best-selling singer/songwriter Jason Derulo - will see a capacity crowd witness first-hand the process to determine the groups and road to crown new world champions on September 15th in Beijing.

The draw is a huge milestone in building up to the first-ever World Cup taking place in China. The 18th edition of FIBA's flagship competition is set to be the biggest to date, with a record 32 national teams and the games being played across eight cities.

FIBA President Horacio Muratore said: "We're thrilled that thousands of basketball fans will be packing Shenzhen Bay Arena for the draw. There is so much excitement and anticipation building up ahead of this first-of-its-kind World Cup. Selling all tickets sell out for this milestone event in the build-up to the competition is proof of that. We're excited that we can offer the fans in attendance - and those watching live on FIBA's YouTube channel - a lot more than just a draw, with special appearances by Kobe Bryant and Yao Ming and a performance by Jason Derulo.”

The draw will start at 18:30 local time (GMT +8) and be streamed live on FIBA's YouTube channel so that fans right around the world can find out in real time what the path will be for each of the 32 participating teams to reach the Final on September 15 in Beijing where the winners will emerge with basketball's biggest prize - the FIBA Basketball World Cup trophy.

Bryant will help carry out the draw, while Derulo will provide the entertainment by performing some of his biggest hits throughout the night.

Source: FIBA