In four qualifying groups, 16 teams compete to reach the 12th Olympic stadium. China, France, New Zealand and Puerto Rico in Xi'an, the United States, Belgium, Nigeria and Senegal in Antwerp, Brazil, Germany, Australia and Serbia in Belém, Hungary, Spain, Canada and Japan in Sopron.
The oddity of the qualifying groups is that the United States and France are actually playing without quotas, because the former is the world champion and the latter is already participating in the Paris tournament as host.
The top three from each group advance, but if the French and Americans are also among them (in fact, after two rounds, both national teams lead with two wins), only two places are allowed in the first and second groups.
For logistical reasons (since there is only one hall available in each venue), the final round matches will not be played simultaneously, but one after the other. In Sopron, for example, Canada-Japan will play at 3 p.m., followed by Hungary-Spain at 5:30 p.m. Thus, once the result of the first match is known, it is theoretically possible to develop a strategy in such a way that both participants in the final will advance.
This last circumstance makes the outcome likely, under which both Spain and Hungary will qualify. Historical experience allows us to conclude that a good result for both teams is usually achieved.
Just think of the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Germany.– As for the match against Austria, which was the last match of Group 2. The chart is as follows: If the Germans win by one or two goals, both teams qualify. If Austria wins or draws, the Germans are eliminated. If Germany wins by three goals or more, the Austrians are eliminated. Well, East Germany took the lead through Horst Hrubesch in the 10th minute, but nothing happened in the remaining 80 minutes. Both national teams advanced, and Algeria, who also have four points, can go home.
But back to Sopron. Hungary moved into an interesting position by beating Olympic silver medalist Japan 81-75. On a good note, if we had lost, our fate would have been in our own hands, because if we beat the Spaniards on Sunday, we would have been ahead of the Spaniards on account of the score against each other.
However, we don't have to win. Let's look at the possible outcomes:
- If Canada beat Japan on Sunday, we might be eliminated, because at that time, like Japan, we have one win and two losses, but because we beat the Far East, we are third. On the other hand, if we beat Spain, we will throw them out and take Japan with us to Paris, because the Asians beat the Spanish. Our guys swear that they will win even if Canada beats Japan in the afternoon, and we don't have to win. We'll see.
- If Japan beat Canada on Sunday, we would have to beat the Spanish or we would be out because we are tied with Canada and they beat us in the first round. However, our position is made easier because victory is not a matter of life for the Spanish, because even in the event of a defeat, they still have third place. Canada, who also have one win, was defeated on Friday. We wonder how strong the Spanish will be against us if Japan wins on Sunday. But it would be better if we don't have to experience this scenario and Canada beats Japan in the afternoon.
Sopron Olympic Qualifying Results So Far:
Round 1:
Japan-Spain 86-75
Hungary-Canada 55-67
Second round:
Spain-Canada 60-55
Hungary-Japan 81-75
Round 3:
Canada-Japan 15.00
Hungary-Spain 17.30
All four teams have one win and one loss.
The Hungarian women's basketball team has reached the Olympics twice so far.
In 1980, the Lenkés of Kiss team finished fourth in Moscow. In 1984, the national team finished fourth in the Cuban Olympic qualifiers, but was unable to travel to Los Angeles due to a boycott by part of the Eastern Bloc.
(Cover photo: Dorka Juhász plays in the second round of the Olympic basketball qualification match between Hungary and Japan at the Novomatic Arena in Sopron on February 9, 2024. Photo: Zsombor Tóth/MTI)
