US draws Russia in FIBA Women's world cup qualifiers

The United States senior women's basketball team has drawn Belgium, Russia, and Puerto Rico for their FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament in February, it was announced Tuesday.

The games will effectively serve as exhibitions for the U.S., as the team has already qualified for next fall's World Cup because they are the reigning Olympic champions. Host nation Australia has qualified as well. The 14 other participating teams will vie for the 10 remaining spots.

The qualifying tournaments will run Feb. 10-13 at three host sites. Washington and Osaka will each host one group, while Belgrade will host two groups simultaneously.

* - Indicates a team has already qualified for the World Cup.

Group A (Belgrade A)

COUNTRY	FIBA RANK
Australia*	3
Serbia	9
Brazil	14
Korea	19

Group B (Belgrade B)

COUNTRY	FIBA RANK
France	5
China	7
Nigeria	16
Mali	41

Group C (Osaka)

COUNTRY	FIBA RANK
Canada	4
Japan	8
Belarus	11
Bosnia and Herzegovina	27

Group D (Washington)

COUNTRY	FIBA RANK
United States*	1
Belgium	6
Russia	12
Puerto Rico	17

The 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup will take place in Sydney in September and October.