The 16th World Basketball Championship officially gets underway on August 29(Manila time) with first-round action in four cities (Ankara, Izmir, Kayseri and Istanbul) in Turkey.

For the second straight time in its 60-year history, a record 24 countries are taking part in the prestigious quadrennial competitions. They have been divided into four groups (A, B, C and D) of six teams each.

The preliminary segment has a round-robin format, where all teams in the same group play against each other over a gruelling six-day stretch (with just a one-day rest in between).

The top four finishers from each preliminary group will advance to the Eighth-Finals or the Round of 16 that has a single-game elimination format.

The Round of 16 match-ups for the Eighth-Finals, which will all be played in Istanbul from September 4-7 (Sept. 5-8, Manila time), are: A1 vs. B4, A2 vs. B3, B2 vs. A3, B1 vs. A4, C1 vs. D4, C2 vs. D3, D2 vs. C3 and D1 vs. C4.

In the quarterfinal knockout stage (September 9-10, Manila time), the pairings will feature the winner of A1 vs. B4 against the winner of C2 vs. D3, the winner of C1 vs. D4 against the winner of A2 vs. B3, the winner of B1 vs. A4 against the winner of D2 vs. C3, and the winner of D1 vs. C4 against the winner of B2 vs. A3.

The semifinal games, which will be played at Istanbul on September 12 (MT), will pit the winner of the (A1 vs. B4 and D2 vs. C3 quarterfinal winners) against the winner of the (C1 vs. D4 and B2 vs. A3 quarterfinal winners) and the winner of the (B1 vs. A4 and C2 vs. D3 quarterfinal winners) against the winner of the (D1 vs. C4 and A2 vs. B3 quarterfinal winners).

The championship game between the semifinal victors will also be held at Istanbul on September 13 (MT).

Group A consists of Angola, Argentina, Australia, Germany, Jordan and Serbia, and Group B features Brazil, Croatia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Tunisia, Slovenia and the United States.

Group C is made up of China, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Greece, Russia, Puerto Rico and Turkey. Defending World champion Spain plays in Group D with Canada, France, Lebanon, Lithuania and New Zealand.

Iran is the two-time FIBA Asian champion, Angola topped the African zone, New Zealand beat Australia for the Oceania crown, Brazil won the Tournament of the Americas and Spain took the EuroBasket crown.

The U.S., the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medalist, and Turkey, the host of the 2010 worlds, were automatic qualifiers. Germany, Lebanon, Lithuania and Russia were wild-card entries (meaning they made it through a special qualifying tournament).

The winner of this year’s World Championship gets the Naismith Trophy (which was first awarded in the 1967 tournament) and automatically qualifies for the 2012 London Olympics.

During the 2006 meet in Japan, Spain posted a perfect 9-0 record, including a 70-47 shellacking of Greece in the finals despite playing without the injured Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers. The tournament MVP four years ago, the 7-foot Gasol also begged off from the 2010 competitions to rest his body.

The United States, which last topped the worlds in 1994 with an all-NBA team powered by Shaquille O’Neal (the only active NBA player left from that squad), settled for third place during the 2006 games following a 96-81 rout of 2004 Olympic gold medalist Argentina.

Employing another set of NBAers led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, the Americans lost just once in nine assignments, having been upset by the Greeks (8-1), 101-95, in the semifinals.

In 2006, Spain, Greece, the U.S. and Argentina owned identical 7-0 records going into the Final Four.

Team USA is sending its “B” cast of NBA players to this year’s 80-game World Championship. That’s because Kobe Bryant and the rest of the “A” team that regained the gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics opted to stay out because of health or contract issues.

Huge in athleticism but short on size, there being only one legitimate center in defense-oriented 7-1 Tyson Chandler, the young Kevin Durant-led Americans nonetheless remain the top favorites to annex their fourth overall World title.