Basketball

FIBA World Ranking: international basketball

Basketball is a five-a-side game and one of the world's most popular sports. FIBA ranks national teams on their results in official games, including World Cup and Olympic tournaments and their qualifiers.

Origin

Basketball was invented in 1891 by Canadian teacher James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, using peach baskets as hoops.

Fun fact

FIBA has more than 200 member federations, and the USA men's team has won the Olympic gold medal more than a dozen times.

Strongest nations

The USA leads both rankings, followed by countries such as Serbia, Germany, France, Spain, Australia and Canada.

Governing body

FIBA (International Basketball Federation), founded in 1932 and based in Mies, Switzerland.