Preview: Who are the favorites in each group of the First Round?

MUNICH (Germany) - The road to the FIBA EuroBasket 2029 officially begins with the Pre-Qualifiers action commencing.

The 10 participating teams have been split into three groups. One group will consist of four teams, and the other two groups will be comprised of three teams each.

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Draw results for FIBA EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers First Round

Four teams - the three group winners and the best-ranked runners-up will advance to the Second Round, where they will join eight teams from the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers First Round.

Let us take a closer look at the groups and the state of things ahead of the tip-off.

Group A

Schedule

November 27 - North Macedonia vs Azerbaijan, 18:00 CET November 27 - Luxembourg vs Ireland, 18:30 CET November 30 - Azerbaijan vs Luxembourg, 14:00 CET November 30 - Ireland vs North Macedonia, 17:00 CET

North Macedonia will fancy their chances to progress in this four-team group, but it looks sure to be a slightly different group from the team that competed at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. Back then, the offense was mainly led by T.J. Shorts, Ethan Happ and Nenad Dimitrijevic. However, they will look to the reliable presence of Jacob Wiley in the opening window to get off to a strong start.

On paper, Ireland would be North Macedonia's toughest challenger, with a team full of experience plus some new faces gracing their lineup. Three-point marksman Sean Flood and veteran Jordan Blount return to the squad, with Max Amadasun making his competitive debut and a first inclusion for Matt Zona.

Despite being the lowest-ranked side in these Pre-Qualifiers, Azerbaijan is an emerging basketball nation, with its domestic league featuring teams that played in the Basketball Champions League and the FIBA Europe Cup this season, and many of its players could be available for the national side, which makes Azerbaijan a tricky opponent.

Luxembourg is a team of veterans eager to get back onto the floor, having last participated in the opening round of FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Pre-Qualifiers earlier this year, going 1-3 in their group. Clancy Rugg will lead the scoring charge again, alongside Alex Laurent.

Ones to watch: Sean Flood (IRE), Clancy Rugg (LUX), Jacob Wiley (MKD)

Group B

Schedule

November 27 - Bulgaria vs Armenia, 17:15 CET November 30 - Armenia vs Norway, 15:00 CET

Having just missed the boat to qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup Pre-Qualifiers, Bulgaria will enter the EuroBasket Pre-Qualifiers ready to make amends, starting against Armenia. Borislav Mladenov led them in those World Cup Qualifiers with 18.8 points and 6 rebounds a game. The highest-ranked side in these Pre-Qualifiers will be the favorites to take this group with a return for Dee Bost.

Norway lost all four games in their World Cup Pre-Qualifiers, but faced a tough group that included Croatia and Denmark. The Norwegians will look to their talisman, Harald Frey, who led the Pre-Qualifiers in points at 19.3 a game, and Chris Ebou-Ndow to lead their offense.

Armenia is the outsider going into this group. Chris Jones did the majority of their scoring damage during the World Cup Pre-Qualifiers alongside Andre Spight, but it's Christian Vital who comes in for this squad. They certainly can't be underestimated.

Ones to watch: Borislav Mladenov (BUL), Harald Frey (NOR), Christian Vital (ARM)

Group C

Schedule

November 27 - Slovakia vs Albania, 17:00 CET November 30 - Albania vs Kosovo, 17:00 CET

On their day, Slovakia can match up against any nation, and their opening World Cup Pre-Qualifiers win over Switzerland was proof; showcasing tremendous team basketball. However, their defense let them down as they fell to three straight losses, dropping them to 1-3. They will see this as a chance to get back on track and advance to the Second Round.

Kosovo will open their campaign against Albania in what is sure to be a highly emotional battle, and one they feel they can win, as they look to veteran Dardan Berisha to pull the strings in their offense. He averaged 15.3 points in the World Cup Pre-Qualifiers. With Slovakia as the favorite on paper, the Kosovans will fancy their chances as they aim to build on a respectable 2-4 record in the World Cup Pre-Qualifiers.

However, Albania will fancy their chances as well in what promises to be a competitive Group C. Like Slovakia, they too finished with a 1-3 record in the World Cup Pre-Qualifiers and will look to their key component Juljan Hamati, who averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds in that competition, to steer the ship.

Ones to watch: Tomas Pavelka (SVK), Dardan Berisha (KOS), Juljan Hamati (ALB)

FIBA