ISTANBUL

The 2022 European Basketball Championship – known as FIBA EuroBasket 2022 – is set to start on Thursday after a five-year hiatus.

The 41st edition of Europe's flagship event will tip off with a three-time champion Spain vs. Bulgaria match in a Group A opener in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The top four teams in each of the four groups will qualify for the Round of 16 with the final stage merely to be held in Berlin, Germany between Sept. 10-18.

The eight winners will fight in quarterfinals, slated for Sept.13 -14, before the semifinals on Sept. 16, and the final clash is set for Sept. 18.

The final will be held in Berlin with the third-place match also to be played on the same day.

Here is a breakdown of the four groups:

Group A: Georgia (host), Belgium, Bulgaria, *Montenegro, Spain, Türkiye (Tbilisi, Georgia)

Group B: Germany (host), Bosnia-Herzegovina, France, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovenia (Cologne, Germany )

Group C: Italy (host), Croatia, Estonia, Great Britain, Greece, Ukraine (Milan, Italy)

Group D: Czech Republic (host), Finland, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia (Prague, Czech Republic)

*Montenegro replaced Russia, which was disqualified from participating by FIBA because of Russia's war in Ukraine