MUNICH (Germany) - In what promises to be a pivotal second window of European Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027, some teams might start to see the clear skies of Qatar, while others could face the danger of not boarding the plane for the showpiece event.
With the Second Round of Qualifiers the prize, 10 teams go into the window a perfect 2-0 record, while another 10 are fighting for their lives without a win in their opening two games so far.
Group A
Spain and Ukraine go into their doubleheader with 2-0 records in Group A, with the landscape set to change after the next two games. Denmark and Georgia will also do battle, as at least one team will get off the mark, making the group interesting as the Qualifiers progress.
Players to watch: Santi Yusta (Spain), Oleksandr Kovliar (Ukraine), Gustav Knudsen (Denmark), Duda Sanadze (Georgia)
Who could qualify: Spain, Ukraine, Denmark, Georgia Who can be eliminated: Denmark, Georgia
Group A scenarios, here.
Group B
Greece are the sole team in Group B with an unbeaten record ahead of their two games against Montenegro, with the Montenegrins and Portugal locked at 1-1. Romania, who play Portugal in the other games in the group, are yet to hit the ground running, stuck at 0-2.
Players to watch: Vasileios Toliopoulos (Greece), Travante Williams (Portugal), Marko Simonovic (Montenegro), Darron Russell (Romania)
Who could qualify: Greece, Portugal, Montenegro
Group B scenarios, here.
Group C
Unbeaten Türkiye and Serbia will undoubtedly be a standout tie during these Qualifiers if their EuroBasket group game was anything to go by. Switzerland, which came within inches of stunning the Serbs, will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in an intriguing battle as both teams aim to get off the mark.
Players to watch: Cedi Osman (Türkiye), Aleksa Avramovic (Serbia), Dzanan Musa (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Selim Fofana (Switzerland)
Who could qualify: Türkiye, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland Who can be eliminated: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland
Group C scenarios, here.
Group D
The tightest group of them all features four teams tied at 1-1 and in contention to advance to the Second Round. Great Britain will play Italy, while Lithuania will go up against Iceland in what will be a captivating watch.
Players to watch: Quinn Ellis (Great Britain), Azuolas Tubelis (Lithuania), Elvar Fridriksson (Iceland), Gabriele Procida (Italy)
Who could qualify: Great Britain, Lithuania, Iceland, Italy
Group D scenarios, here.
Group E
Unbeaten Croatia and Germany will do battle in what promises to be two highly-charged encounters between the World and European champions and a nation looking to reestablish itself on the global stage. Two sides looking for their first win in Group E, Israel and Cyprus, will also go head-to-head during this window.
Players to watch: Mario Hezonja (Croatia), David Kramer (Germany), Roman Sorkin (Israel), Filippos Tigkas (Cyprus)
Who could qualify: Croatia, Germany, Israel, Cyprus Who can be eliminated: Israel, Cyprus
Group E scenarios, here.
Group F
The only unbeaten team in Group F, Poland, will face a difficult challenge as Latvia await them during the second window. Latvia were stung by the Netherlands in one of the upsets of the first window and will be aiming to bounce back.
Meanwhile, an equally promising battle lies ahead as the Dutch face Austria, who look to improve on its poor start and secure its first win in Group F before it's too late.
Players to watch: Mateusz Ponitka (Poland), Yannick Franke (Netherlands), Rihards Lomazs (Latvia), Sylven Landesberg (Austria)
Who could qualify: Poland, Netherlands, Latvia
Group F scenarios, here.
Group G
After a very interesting first round of games, Hungary tops Group G with a 2-0 record as they prepare for the mighty France in the upcoming window. Finland, which split its opening two games, will play Belgium, who are the only side yet to get off the mark, but with the talent on display in this group, it's still wide open.
Players to watch: Zoltan Perl (Hungary), Mikael Jantunen (Finland), Sylvain Francisco (France), Retin Obasohan (Belgium)
Who could qualify: Hungary, Finland, France
Group G scenarios, here.
Group H
After a solid first window, Czechia will look to keep the momentum going when they face Slovenia next, knowing that two more wins will see them progress to the Second Round. Estonia will go up against winless Sweden in their two games.
Players to watch: Tomas Satoransky (Czechia), Henri Drell (Estonia), Klemen Prepelic (Slovenia), Ludde Hakanson (Sweden)
Who could qualify: Czechia, Estonia, Slovenia
Group H scenarios, here.
FIBA