FIBA Summer Primer: Qualifying for 2016 Olympics

Over the next several weeks, tournaments will take place all around the globe, many involving NBA players – and all with high stakes.

With the 2016 Olympics approaching, the summer of 2015 is all about qualification. Over the next month, six different FIBA geographic winners will hold championship tournaments, with seven Olympic tickets getting punched.

Several teams that don't qualify will participate in the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament next July, a last-chance wild-card tournament to determine the final three berths.

Here is a brief guide to the stakes for all the summer tournaments, followed by a complete table of the teams eligible for Olympic qualification.

Already Qualified

The United States qualify as winners of the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

Normally, the Olympics host nation automatically qualifies. However, Brazil's status was up in the air because of an overdue debt to FIBA. The country was at risk of losing its automatic bid until Aug. 9 when FIBA announced the host nation will in fact be in the tournament.

2015 FIBA Oceania Championship

The first regional qualifier to tip off was the simplest: Australia beat New Zealand in a home-and-home series, punching a ticket for the Olympics and sending New Zealand to the qualifying tournament.

Qualified for Olympics: Australia
Qualifying Tournament: New Zealand

AfroBasket 2015

Shortly after the Oceanias ended, AfroBasket tipped off in Tunisia, with 16 teams vying for a single Olympic berth and two spots in the qualifying tournament.

The teams were split into four pools of four and played each team in their pool once, later getting re-seeded based on record for a single-elimination tournament. The groups were as follows:

Nigeria emerged victorious on Aug. 30, defeating Angola in the finals for their first ever AfroBasket title.

Qualified for Olympics: Nigeria
Qualifying Tournament: Angola, Tunisia

2015 FIBA Americas Championship

The Americas tournament tips off Aug. 31 in Mexico and will see 10 teams vying for two Olympic bids and three spots in the qualifying tournament.

The teams are split into two pools of five and play each team in their pool once. From there, the top four in each pool form an eight-team group in the second round, and play every qualifying team from the other first-round group. The top four teams from the pool then play a semifinal and final.

The five teams advancing at least as far as the qualifying tournament will be established by Sept. 9, when the second round ends, while a champion will be crowned Sept. 12.

EuroBasket 2015

EuroBasket tips off Sept. 5 across four countries, with the knockout stage commencing Sept. 12 in France. The tournament features 24 teams battling for two Olympic bids and four spots in the qualifying tournament.

The teams are split into four pools of six and will play each team in their pool once. From there, the top four teams in each pool advance and are re-seeded for a single-elimination tournament.

One matter complicating the pool at present is that Russia has been suspended by FIBA, and it's unclear if the matter will be settled in time for them to compete in EuroBasket. It's also unclear if they would be replaced by another team, or if Group A would proceed as a five-team group.

Each team that makes it as far as the semifinals will secure a spot in the Olympics or qualifying tournament, while the four that lose in the quarterfinals will pair off to determine two more qualifying tournament teams.

EuroBasket wraps Sept. 20

2015 FIBA Asia Championship

In what amounts to a test run for their turn as hosts of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, China will host the Asia Championship beginning Sept. 23.

The tournament will see 16 teams vie for a single Olympic berth and two spots in the qualifying tournament. The teams are split into four groups of four and will play every team in their group once.

Things get a little weird in the second round, where the top three teams from each round-one pool advance to one of two pools of six. There, each team will play any team in their pool they've yet to play, with the top four in each second-round pool moving on to an eight-team, single-elimination tournament.

The Asia Championship - the final 2015 qualifying tournament - will wrap Oct. 3.

2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament

Once the regional tournaments are complete, nine of the 12 Olympic berths will have been determined, with the final three set to be determined by the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

That tournament is set to include 12 teams and take place July 4-10 next summer in a location still to be determined.

2016 Olympics pool

FIBA Rankings

The following table shows the FIBA Ranking of each team eligible for Olympic qualification, as of FIBA's last update in September 2014.