HELSINKI (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Finland will have no shortage of quality opponents to help them get ready for the rigors of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup with Australia and France the latest national teams to land on the preparation calendar.

Finland and Australia will meet in Helsinki on 12 August and once again in Strasbourg, France, 10 days later.

The following day, 23 August, will see the Finns take on European champions France.

Both the Australians and French will play at the World Cup.

The Finns wanted tough teams to get ready for their Group C games in Bilbao, where they will go up against the United States, New Zealand, Turkey, the Dominican Republic and Ukraine.

France are No. 8 in the FIBA Ranking Men and Australia No. 9.

Finland, who are coached by Henrik Dettmann, will first meet Germany in Leipzig on 27 July before hosting Lithuania in Helsinki, a game to mark the 75th anniversary of the Finnish federation and the national team.

The Wolfpack will then travel to the Baltics and square off again against No. 4 Lithuania in Klaipeda.

After the two games against the Australians, the Finns will also go up against EuroBasket 2013 winners France in Strasbourg.

Finland's next games will be at the World Cup, with a Group Phase opener against the USA on 30 August.

Dettmann believes his team has the ideal preparation campaign for Spain.

"We have the opportunity to test ourselves against the reigning European Champion (France), the runner-up (Lithuania) and number 9 and 14 (Australia, Germany) from the FIBA Rankings," he said.

"You could say that Finland is among the 'big boys' now.

"We couldn't have asked for a better preparation program."

Finland ended a 16-year absence from the EuroBasket Final Round when they qualified for the tournament in 2011.

They came in ninth at that event in Lithuania, and at last year's tournament in Slovenia.

In February, Finland received a wild card to play at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

After last summer’s EuroBasket, the Finns climbed nine spots to No. 39 in the FIBA Ranking Men.

FIBA