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FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2020: Game times for Belgium, Team USA

Here is the list of game times for Belgium’s and the United States’ games in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

By Albert Lee
BASKET OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT PRESS CONFERENCE
Belgium head coach Philip Mesdtagh and Washington Mystics guard Kim Mestdagh are at a press conference before their Olympic qualifying games.
Photo by KURT DESPLENTER/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

The FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament starts on Thursday, Feb. 6. Three Washington Mystics players: Emma Meesseman and Kim Mestdagh for Belgium; and Ariel Atkins for the United States will play games over the next four days.

Team Belgium

  • Thursday, Feb. 6: vs. Canada at 2:25 p.m. ET
  • Saturday, Feb. 8: vs. Japan at 11:55 a.m. ET
  • Sunday, Feb. 9: vs. Sweden at 8:50 a.m. ET

Where games are played: Ostend Dome in Oostende, Belgium (It’s also spelled as Ostend or Ostende.)

How to watch: ESPN Plus (subscription required)

What does Belgium have to play for? They will play for an Olympic spot and must finish in the Top 2 to guarantee an Olympic spot since Japan already qualified as the host country. If Japan is first or second in the group, Belgium can finish third and still claim a spot.

What do Meesseman and Mestdagh have to play for? This tournament is the biggest one in their lives. An Olympic berth will be historic for Belgium since it would be their first.

How could it go wrong? If Belgium doesn’t make the Olympics despite hosting the group, it would be a failure. The game against Canada on Thursday is Belgium’s toughest, where the winner would almost certainly get a berth to Tokyo.

Team USA

  • Thursday, Feb. 6: vs. Serbia at 1:50 p.m. ET
  • Saturday, Feb. 8: vs. Mozambique at 1:50 p.m. ET
  • Sunday, Feb. 9: vs. Nigeria at 1:50 p.m. ET

Where games are played: Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade, Serbia

How to watch: ESPN Plus (subscription required)

What does the USA have to play for? Nothing from a “will they” or “won’t they” standpoint. They won the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup and earned an Olympic berth that way. This tournament isn’t filler for the Americans, since there are many new faces on the team. And this tournament allows the Americans to build more chemistry together, something they’ve often lacked in previous world tournaments.

What does Atkins have to play for? For Atkins, she is going to try to play her way into consideration for the final roster to go to Tokyo. She is not a ball-dominant guard like most of the other players on the team. Also, Atkins could fill in a 3-and-D role off the bench which could help her case.

How could it go wrong? For the Americans, injuries are how their campaign can go awry. While a loss to Serbia can be understandable, a loss to the lower-ranked Mozambique or Nigeria would certainly not.