The red carpet is all set for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

From ticket sales, game schedules, transportations, up to the littlest details such as dressing up the venues, everything has been laid out well in time for one of the biggest basketball spectacles this small but basketball-crazed country will co-host in a few days.

Local organizers headed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and in coordination with some government agencies that include the Philippine Sports Commission didn’t leave anything to chance and planned for everything to guarantee the success of the event that will unfold on Aug. 25 to Sept. 10.

This would be the first time that the country is hosting since 1978 when the 8th edition of the elite event was held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila and the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

This time, the country is joining forces with Japan and Indonesia with the Philippines hosting teams such as Angola, Dominican Republic, Italy, South Sudan, Serbia, China, Puerto Rico, Jordan, New Zealand, Greece and powerhouse United States.

It will be a treat to everyone including Filipino fans who will get the opportunity to witness exciting games not only from the country’s very own Gilas Pilipinas headed by NBA star Jordan Clarkson, but also from some of the world’s top stars.

And what better way to open up the hostilities than having Gilas Pilipinas’ first match against the Dominican Republic at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, where it can accommodate up to 50,000 fans.

The rest of the Group A matches of Angola, Dominican Republic, Italy and Gilas Pilipinas will be played at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, which will also host Group B games of South Sudan, Serbia, China and Puerto Rico.

Crowd favorite USA, meanwhile, will headline matches at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, along with fellow Group C nations such as Jordan, Greece and New Zealand, as well as Group D teams Egypt, Mexico, Montenegro and Lithuania.

Co-hosting the event were Jakarta, Indonesia, which will have Group G (Iran, Spain, Ivory Coast and Brazil) and Group H (Canada, Latvia, Lebanon and France) as well as Okinawa, Japan, which will stage Group E (Germany, Finland, Australia and Japan) and Group F (Slovenia, Cape Verde, Georgia and Venezuela).

Part of the hosting gig is also unveiling of the tournament mascot named JIP, an acronym for the co-hosts.

FIBA has actually launched a campaign for fans to name the mascot, with 100,000 World Cup enthusiasts visiting the mascot naming poll which included six options to select their nominated name.

According to FIBA, “the name JIP also fits exactly with the creators' vision when they designed the basketball robot: uniting people and representing them all.”

FIBA has also tapped Argentina’s Luis Scola, Spain’s Pau Gasol and the US’ Carmelo Anthony, all champions in FIBA events in their own right, as global ambassadors.

Scola, of course, is part of the Argentina team that won the 2004 Olympics as well as the America Cup twice while Gasol spearheaded the Spanish squad that ruled the World Cup in 2006 and EuroBasket thrice.

Anthony, for his part, was a three-time World Cup gold medalist in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Local ambassadors, meanwhile, include former Miss Universe Catriona Gray and former Gilas Pilipinas members LA Tenorio, Jeff Chan, Gary David and Larry Fonacier.

Any FIBA World Cup, though, won’t be complete without its logo and this one stemmed from three key elements—a heart, the Naismith Trophy and the year 2023.

The sideways heart symbolizes the passion for the game while the Naismith Trophy is the dream of all participating countries in the World Cup.

And by that, the FIBA World Cup is ready to roll.