Tokyo Olympics 2020 - Road to the Final: Men's basketball tournament format

There is plenty of basketball content for fans of the sport to enjoy over the summer even after the NBA Finals are over as the Tokyo Olympics 2020 is set to begin in less than three weeks.

USA Men's basketball will be looking to make it four gold medals in a row as they line up with their star-studded roster. Aside from the NBA stars in the US side, there will be a lot of other familiar faces from the league who have helped their national team qualify for the tournament.

In this article, we will run down all the sides set to compete at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and what the tournament format is.

Tokyo Olympics 2020: What is the tournament format and who will be competing?

Kevin Durant will once again headline Team USA in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are being held between the 24th of July and the 9th of August. Twelve nations will compete against one another in the basketball tournament which will be held at the Saitama Super Arena. Aside from the hosts Japan, the other countries competing are as follows: USA, Spain, France, Argentina, Australia, Iran, Nigeria.

Alongside these teams are the four sides who qualified for the games via the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. These were Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and the Czech Republic.

In a year where home-court advantage in the NBA meant less than it ever had before, it also meant absolutely nothing in the four Olympic qualifying tournaments.Canada hosted a qualifier. And didn't get to Tokyo.Croatia. Same.Lithuania. Same.And now, Serbia. Same.Stunning.

— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) July 4, 2021

There will be three groups of teams at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, with four countries in each group. In group A there will be an enthralling contest between the US and France, along with Iran and the Czech Republic. Group B could be more open, with Australia, Nigeria, Italy and Germany all competing for the top two places which guarantee qualification. Finally, the opening format of groups is complete with Spain, Argentina, Slovenia and the hosts Japan in Group C.

The group stage is scheduled to begin on the 24th of July with Iran playing the Czech Republic and will continue until the 1st of August. After which, there will be two days of quarterfinal action preceding a two day break before the semifinals and final which takes place on August 6th.

🎵 M-V-P, M-V-P, M-V-P! 🎵A historic night for @luka7doncic, who helps 🇸🇮 book a ticket to #Tokyo2020 with a triple-double performance! ✈️📊 31 PTS 11 REB 13 AST | 42 EFF pic.twitter.com/QAXqv8AfwO

— FIBA (@FIBA) July 4, 2021

There were some dramatic scenes in qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, headlined by Luka Doncic's magical triple-double to take Slovenia to their first-ever Summer Games appearance. They will have nothing to lose and will feel like they can qualify out of their group, even if it means finishing as one of the two best third-placed sides who also progress to the quarterfinals.

The U.S. team will be heavy favorites, though, and have only lost five games in 18 Olympic tournaments. Their overall record over that time is 138-5 and since NBA players were allowed to represent the nation in 1992, they have gone 53-3, winning six golds in the process.