Australia, Italy join Argentina, Philippines and Saudi Arabia as winners of inaugural FIBA Esports Open 2020

The inaugural winners of the FIBA Esports Open 2020 have been confirmed following the conclusion of the three-day tournament.

Australia, Argentina, Italy, Philippines and Saudi Arabia topped their respective conferences and emerged victorious among the 17 participating nations from around the world split into regional groups.

Italy impressed in a competitive Europe Conference with a flawless 8-0 record as their 74-62 Day 3 triumph over second-placed Spain proved decisive. Meanwhile, Spain and Russia finished second and third, respectively.

Australia ran out convincing winners over New Zealand in the Oceania Conference, winning four straight games in response to a Day 1 defeat.

Saudi Arabia clinched victory in the Middle East Conference with three consecutive wins over Lebanon, while Philippines enjoyed a clean sweep in the South-East Asia Conference as they brushed aside the challenge of Indonesia across five encounters.

In the South America Conference, Argentina forged an unassailable lead on the second day as they recovered from an opening loss against Brazil to string together three wins in a row before adding a fourth in overtime on Day 3.

The entire FIBA Esports Open 2020 series was produced from the brand-new FIBA Esports Studio located in Riga, Latvia. Each team consisted of up to seven players and was played remotely using NBA 2K’s Pro-AM mode.

The entire event was streamed live across FIBA’s digital platforms on Facebook, Twitch and YouTube.

About 2K:
Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes global interactive entertainment for console and handheld gaming systems, personal computers and mobile devices, with product availability including physical retail and digital download. The Company is home to many talented development studios, including Visual Concepts, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games, 31st Union and Cloud Chamber. 2K’s portfolio currently includes the renowned BioShock®, Borderlandsâ„¢, Mafia and XCOM® franchises; NBA® 2K, the global phenomenon and highest rated* annual sports title for the current console generation; the critically acclaimed Sid Meier’s Civilization® series; the popular WWE® 2K and WWE® SuperCard franchises, as well as emerging properties NBA® 2K Playgrounds 2, Carnival Games and more. Additional information about 2K and its products may be found at 2k.com.

About FIBA:
FIBA (fiba.basketball) – the world governing body for basketball – is an independent association formed by 213 National Basketball Federations throughout the world. It is recognized as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).