Even despite falling to Canada 74-57, Venezuela still managed to clinch a spot in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 as Dominican Republic defeated Argentina 79-75. This is the fifth time in history that Venezuela qualifies to the World Cup and their second in a row. Venezuela’s team is a much older group than Canada – the average age is 32 for Venezuela – but their experience has been apparent through the six qualifier windows.
Coach: Néstor García
What To Watch
Venezuela are set to have the oldest squad at the World Cup, with as many as 9 players being over 30 years of age. An often overlooked aspect of international basketball is a team’s experience and Venezuela has a ton of it. Michael Carrera, Jhornan Zamora, Nestor Colmenares and Gregory Vargas lead the team along with fellow 30-plus veterans David Cubillan, Miguel Ruiz, Windi Graterol, Pedro Chourio and Heissler Guillent. Their future core is led by 23 year-old Garly Sojo, as well as rotation players such as Yohanner Sifontes (27) and Jose Materan (26), who round them out quite well with their size and youth.
Group Play Schedule
- Aug. 26: Venezuela vs. Slovenia (7:30 a.m. ET)
- Aug. 28: Venezuela vs. Cape Verde (4 a.m. ET)
- Aug. 30: Venezuela vs. Georgia (4 a.m. ET)
