By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The opening day of the 2027 World Cup Qualifiers delivered great action, and the second did not fall behind.
Slovenia was on the verge of victory against Estonia at home but let the game slip away in the final moments, with the visitors winning 94–93 in overtime.
The hosts nearly closed out the game in regulation, but Henri Drell forced an extra five minutes. Slovenia once again had the upper hand in overtime, but a mistake by Gregor Hrovat gave Kristian Kullamäe a chance—and he didn’t miss it, drilling the go-ahead triple with five seconds remaining. Hrovat had a chance to redeem himself at the buzzer but missed, and Estonia prevailed.
Drell led the winners with 29 points, while hero Kullamäe added 24. Artur Konontsuk scored 13, and Kaspar Treier added 11. For Slovenia, Hrovat finished with 23 points, Miha Cerkvenik and Žiga Samar followed with 15 each, while Gregor Glas added 12.
In other Group H clash, Czechia also recorded a win, taking down Sweden 97–80 at home, with Barcelona’s Tomáš Satoranský leading the way with 16 points and six assists. Martin Peterka and Ondřej Sehnal followed with 15 points each, while Richard Balint added 13 and James Karnik contributed 11.
For Sweden, Tobias Borg had 18 points, while Ludde Hakanson delivered a double-double with 16 points and 15 assists, breaking his own Qualifiers record. Karl Olle Lundqvist added 15 and Denzel Andersson 14 points.
Hezonja shines for Croatia, Mumbru returns and leads Germany to victory
As for Group E, Croatia blew Cyprus away 100–60, with Real Madrid’s Mario Hezonja leading the charge, scoring 25 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and dishing seven assists.
Danko Branković followed with 17 points, Roko Badžim added 11, and Roko Prkačin posted 10 points and eight rebounds. Filippos Tigkas was the only Cyprus player in double digits with 14 points.
In the same group, Germany recorded a commanding 89–69 win over Israel, as head coach Alex Mumbrú returned to the bench after recovering from a severe case of pancreatitis.
Oscar da Silva led the way with 19 points, David Kramer followed with 13, while Josh Obiesie added 11 for the winning side. Roman Sorkin finished with 18 points and seven rebounds for Israel, while Khadeen Carrington scored 17 and Bar Timor added 11.
Finland falls to Hungary, France rolls past Belgium
In another upset, Hungary defeated Finland 89–82, surprising the 2025 EuroBasket semifinalists at the start of the Qualifiers. Zoltán Perl shined with 25 points, while Valencia’s Nate Reuvers contributed 16 points and six rebounds.
On the Finnish side, Sasu Salin posted 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Mikael Jantunen and Edon Maxhuni each scored 13.
France got the job done in another Group G clash, defeating Belgium 79–63, with four players reaching double figures.
Benjamin Sene led the way with 15 points, Lionel Gaudoux added 13 along with eight rebounds, while Axel Bouteille and Nicolas Lang contributed 10 points each. Retin Obasohan stood out for Belgium with 14 points, while Neils Van den Eynde followed with 10.
Alonso stumbles on debut with Latvia, Harding shines in Poland win
Sito Alonso took the reins of the Latvian national team from Luca Banchi but fell to the Netherlands 78–86 in his debut. Nathan Kuta led the winning side with 17 points, while Keye van der Vuurst de Vries added 16 points and eight assists.
David N’Guessan followed with 15, while the experienced Charlon Kloof and Yannick Franke chipped in 15 points each for the Netherlands.
For Latvia, Richards Lomazs posted 17 points, Kristaps Klips added 15, Toms Leimanis contributed 13, and Mareks Mejeris finished with 10.
Poland defeated Austria 90–78 in Group F, with naturalized guard Jerrick Harding erupting for 32 points in his debut.
Mateusz Ponitka followed with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Michal Sokolowski added 16 points and eight boards. On the Austrian side, veteran Sylven Landesberg scored 20, Erol Ersek added 19, and Bogic Vujosevic finished with 14.
FIBA World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers
Group A
1. Ukraine 2 (1-0)
2. Spain 2 (1-0)
3. Denmark 1 (0-1)
4. Georgia 1 (0-1)
Georgia – Ukraine 79-92
Denmark – Spain 64-74
Group B
1. Greece 2 (1-0)
2. Portugal 2 (1-0)
3. Montenegro 1 (0-1)
4. Romania 0 (0-1)
Greece – Romania 91-64
Montenegro – Portugal 62-83
Group C
1. Turkiye 2 (1-0)
2. Serbia 2 (1-0)
3. Switzerland 1 (0-1)
4. Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 (0-1)
Serbia – Switzerland 90-86
Turkiye – Bosnia-Herzegovina 93-71
Group D
1. Iceland 2 (1-0)
2. Lithuania 2 (1-0)
3. Great Britain 1 (0-1)
4. Italy 1 (0-1)
Italy – Iceland 76-81
Great Britain – Lithuania 88-89
Group E
2. Germany 2 (1-0)
3. Israel 1 (0-1)
4. Cyprus 1 (0-1)
Croatia – Cyprus 100-60
Germany – Israel 89-69
Group F
1. Poland 2 (1-0)
2. Netherlands 2 (1-0)
3. Latvia 1 (0-1)
4. Austria 1 (0-1)
Latvia – Netherlands 78-86
Poland – Austria 90-78
Group G
1. France 2 (1-0)
2. Hungary 2 (1-0)
3. Finland 1 (0-1)
4. Belgium 1 (0-1)
Hungary – Finland 89-82
France – Belgium 79-63
Group H
1. Czechia 2 (1-0)
2. Estonia 2 (1-0)
3. Slovenia 1 (0-1)
4. Sweden 1 (0-1)
Slovenia – Estonia 93-94 OT
Czechia – Sweden 97-80