Who can already make it to the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers this Saturday?

SOFIA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Pre-Qualifiers) - Some of the fundamental questions surrounding the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Pre-Qualifiers campaign may be answered as soon as Saturday, with more than half of the available spots in the Qualifiers potentially being handed out over the weekend.

As many as five teams could book their tickets to the next stage for the Qualifiers in November, while the likes of Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will be fighting off elimination in must-win battles with their backs against the wall.

Group A

Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-1) v Sweden (1-2) (SWE won first game 81-73)
Slovak Republic (1-2) v Armenia (2-1) (ARM won first game 75-61)

There is no possible scenario for any of the four Group A sides to clinch a place in the Qualifiers just yet, but Bosnia and Herzegovina and Armenia could come very close to doing that, potentially opening up two-game leads over their rivals with only a pair of games left. On the other hand, wins for Sweden and Slovak Republic would put them in a solid position to contend for qualification as well.

Group B

Austria (1-1) v Albania (0-2) (AUT won first game 79-51)

An Austria win would spell the end of Albania's already gloomy hopes of advancing while booking spots in the Qualifiers for the Austrians themselves as well as the undefeated group leaders the Netherlands. If Albania fight to live another day, they also have to stay mindful of the 28-point deficit from the first game.

Group C

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (0-2) v Kosovo (1-1) (KOS won first game 72-68)

After two losses in a row, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia find themselves between a rock and a hard place with no room for error whatsoever. With a win in Skopje, Kosovo would move into the next round together with Estonia, eliminating the Macedonians. Having lost 72-68 against Kosovo in Prishtina, MKD will need to win by 5 points to get a potentially decisive head-to-head advantage.

Group D

Bulgaria (2-0) v Portugal (0-2) (BUL won first game 82-71)

Still-undefeated Group D leaders Bulgaria can officially lock in a Qualifiers berth with a win over Portugal by moving to a 3-0 mark, but Portugal would still not be out of the race themselves even in the case of a defeat, providing they win their last game against Belarus and Bulgaria top the Belarusians in Minsk next week.

FIBA