The Emus are all set for the 2025 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, taking place from June 28 to July 6 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Drawn into Group D, now labelled the ‘Group of Death ‘ alongside the USA, France, and Cameroon, the Emus are up to challenge the best in the world early.
Star forward Jacob Furphy wouldn't have it any other way as he hopes to bring the country back to the podium for the first time in 22 years.
"I love that we were drawn into the group. To be the best you have to beat the best. We're going to have to do that with some tough competition straight away. It's gonna be super hard, super hard. You will want to finish as high as you can to get the best crossover possible. But it's gonna be a great challenge for us," said Furphy.
"It will be huge to play against the top competition of the USA. Most of their team, if not all of their team will be in high major (college) programs next year. It will be a huge challenge first up. It's gonna be unreal."
Even though they will be playing in their 15th U19 World Cup of 17 total editions, the Australians have not reached the Quarter-Finals since 2015 and not won a Semi-Final game since taking their sole title in 2003.
"I wouldn't say that is upsetting but it's not where we think we should be. This group that we will have will be looking to take us back to that Quarter-Final, Semi-Final and hopefully the gold medal match. The 2003 team that won the gold leaves us with huge aspirations and we think we can get it done," Furphy said.
Tournament Format
The tournament features 16 teams divided into four groups. Each team plays three group-stage matches, with all advancing to the Round of 16.
From there, the competition follows a single-elimination format leading to the final
| Australia's Group D | Schedule | |||
| June 29 | 1:15am AEST | v USA | Watch Here |
| June 30 | 3:30am AEST | v CAMEROON | Watch Here |
| July 2 | 1:15am AEST | v FRANCE | Watch Here |
All matches will be held at Lausanne Arena, Switzerland
The Pivotal Game: Australia v France
Regardless if USA win the group in undefeated fashion or not, the Australia v France game will be a meaningful battle.
If one of the two teams knock off the Americans in the first two days - Australia open the tournament against USA, who then play France on Day 2 - then the winner of this game could go through as undefeated group winner.
Or the result could create a three-way tie of teams with a 2-1 record with Cameroon in that case 0-3.
Historical Context
Australia has qualified for 15 of the 17 U19 World Cups since 1979, with their sole championship win in 2003 under the leadership of MVP Andrew Bogut .
For more information and updates, visit the official FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 website
