FIBA — International Basketball Federation

What is FIBA?

FIBA — the Fédération Internationale de Basketball, or International Basketball Federation — is the international federation for basketball and 3x3 basketball. It describes itself as “the sport’s world governing body” and as “the only basketball authority recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)”.^[2] Olympedia, an independent Olympic-history database, records that FIBA “governs the Olympic disciplines of basketball and 3x3 basketball”.^[4]

Its legal constitution is set out in the General Statutes, edition 16 May 2025, which were approved by the ordinary Congress on that date and took effect on approval. Article 1.1 defines FIBA as “an independent association composed of national member federations worldwide”, and article 2 places its headquarters in Switzerland and makes it subject to Swiss law.^[1] Article 4 gives its mission as “to promote the sport of basketball throughout the world and to lead the basketball movement as recognised by the International Olympic Committee”. The official languages are English and French (article 47.1).^[1]

Olympedia records Sheikh Saud Al-Thani of Qatar as president since 2023.^[4]

What does FIBA govern?

Rules. FIBA states that it “decides, publishes and adapts the Official Basketball Rules, which are the only basketball rules recognized internationally”.^[16] Beneath the statutes sit six books of Internal Regulations: general provisions (with an equipment annex), competitions, players and officials, anti-doping, governing the zones, and 3x3.^[5]

Players and transfers. Book 3, in force as of 22 April 2026, defines the letter of clearance as “a certificate issued by FIBA that confirms that a player is free to transfer internationally and that a new National Member Federation is allowed to issue a license to that player” (article 3-64). It also sets national-team eligibility, allowing a player to change national status only once (article 3-29). See transfer systems.^[6]

What sits outside. The same book provides that “Transfers of players between a FIBA team and an NBA, WNBA or NBAGL team are governed exclusively by the bilateral agreement entered into by FIBA and the respective league” (article 3-99): the NBA and WNBA are not FIBA members.^[6] Disputes go to the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal (statutes, article 33) and to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (article 40).^[1]

Anti-doping. Book 4 states that FIBA’s rules are “adopted and implemented in accordance with FIBA’s responsibilities under the revised World Anti-Doping Code, ed. 2021”.^[7] The International Testing Agency states that it has delivered FIBA’s anti-doping programme for 3x3 since June 2022.^[8]

When was FIBA founded and where is it based?

FIBA’s own pages give 1932 as the founding year and name eight charter members: Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Switzerland.^[2] Olympedia independently gives the full date and place — “18 June 1932 in Génève, Switzerland” — with the same eight founding members.^[4] The General Statutes do not state a founding date.^[1]

Renaming. Olympedia records that the body was “formerly known as the Fédération Internationale de Basket-ball Amateur from its foundation until 1989”, when the word “Amateur” left the name.^[4] Founding (1932), renaming (1989) and IOC recognition (undated in the sources retrieved) are three separate facts.

Seat. Article 2.1 of the statutes provides that “The headquarters of FIBA shall be established in Switzerland”, without naming a municipality.^[1] FIBA states that its headquarters, the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball in Mies, was inaugurated on 18 June 2013 as the FIBA House of Basketball and renamed in 2018 after its late secretary general, and states that in 2026 the building “officially adopted its landmark new address, Chemin de la FIBA 1 in Mies, Switzerland”.^[3] Olympedia also places the headquarters in Mies.^[4]

How is FIBA recognised?

IOC. Article 1.2 of the General Statutes states: “FIBA is the sole competent authority for the sport of basketball throughout the world and is recognised as such by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).”^[1] Neither the statutes nor FIBA’s organisation pages give the date of that recognition, and Olympedia’s federation page carries none either; the recognition year could therefore not be established from a retrieved source.^[2][4] The sport’s Olympic history is separately dated: Olympedia records that after a demonstration event at St. Louis 1904, “men would only have their first true Olympic basketball tournament at Berlin 1936”, that “Women would début at the Olympics only at Montreal 1976”, and that 3x3 reached the Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020, as FIBA also states.^[4][2]

ASOIF. The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations lists the Fédération Internationale de Basketball among its 30 full members.^[9]

WADA. The World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of Code signatories carries the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) under the heading for ASOIF members.^[10] The statutes also require the secretary general to ensure compliance with the regulations of the IOC and WADA (article 16.6(g)).^[1]

Membership rule. “Only national basketball federations may become members of FIBA” (article 6), and “Only one (1) national basketball federation per country shall be admitted to membership in FIBA” (article 7.2).^[1]

What does FIBA organise?

World Cup. FIBA states that “The first-ever FIBA Basketball World Cup took place in Argentina in 1950, with the host nation prevailing in the Final against the USA.” The field grew from 10 teams in 1950 to 32 at the 2019 edition, and the 2027 edition will “feature 32 nations”, drawn from qualifiers played by 80 national teams from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, and Europe.^[11] The most recent edition was played in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines from 25 August to 10 September 2023 and won by Germany.^[14] The next FIBA Basketball World Cup is scheduled in Qatar from 27 August to 12 September 2027; FIBA states it “will also qualify teams directly for the LA 2028 Olympic Games or through four FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments”.^[13][11]

Women’s World Cup. FIBA dates the first women’s edition to 1953; Olympedia places it in Chile.^[15][4] The most recent FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup was held in Berlin, Germany, from 4 to 13 September 2026 with 16 teams; the United States beat France 97–79 in the final.^[12]

Olympic Games and 3x3. FIBA lists the Olympic basketball tournaments and 3x3 events among the competitions it organises, alongside continental cups and youth world championships.^[2][15] See Olympic Games.

Who are its members?

FIBA gives its membership as 212 national federations, a figure it repeats on its organisation page (“FIBA supports and empowers 212 National Basketball Federations”).^[15][2] Olympedia independently gives the same figure: “FIBA currently has 212 national basketball federations as members as of January 2026”.^[4] USA Basketball is the United States member.

Members are grouped into five zones. Article 17.2 of the General Statutes names them as “Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania”, and Book 5 of the Internal Regulations, “Governing the Zones”, sets out how they are run.^[1][5] FIBA operates a regional office for each of the five, alongside its headquarters in Mies.^[2][15] For World Cup qualification FIBA groups Asia and Oceania together: the 2027 qualifiers bring together 16 national teams each from Africa, the Americas and Asia–Oceania and 32 from Europe.^[11]

The statutes admit only national basketball federations, one per country, so leagues and clubs are not members in their own right: they belong to FIBA through their national federation, which licenses players under the transfer rules of Book 3.^[1][6] See international federations.