MIES (Switzerland) - Every team will be going into the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026 wanting to be the one hoisting the trophy on July 5 in Istanbul. Only one nation will climb to the top of the podium. Why can't it be your favorite country?
We looked at all 16 teams and evaluated what they need to win the eighth edition of the biennial championship.
Here is Part 2.
Lithuania
6th appearance - Best finish: 3rd place (2016)
Lithuania are making their sixth appearance and only once have they failed to reach the Quarter-Finals (at home in 2012). But the Europeans also only have one podium to show with a third-placed finish in 2016. Lietuva booked their ticket to Istanbul by taking second place at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025. Tomas Tarasevicius' team will face three very different teams in Group B with Canada, Cameroon and China being the other teams.
Jokubas Kukta was the team captain last summer and once again will be crucial to Lithuania's success. But there are plenty of other leaders on this team including Gabrielius Buivydas, Lukas Siskauskas and Kristupas Sabeckas. The team has shown an ability to play even better than its parts and that could lead Lithuania back to the podium for the first time in a decade.
New Zealand
4th appearance - Best finish: 4th place (2024)
New Zealand did not have the qualifying they had hoped as they reached their fourth FIBA U17 World Cup by taking third place at the FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2025. First off, they lost to China in the Semi-Finals. Then in the Third Place Game, New Zealand led by 18 points over Japan and were up by 16 points in the fourth quarter but trailed by three points with 25 seconds left. New Zealand tied the game and won it on a Marco Sula layup with 1.6 seconds to go. Last summer will be long forgotten when Darron Larsen and his team arrive in Istanbul, where they will face a challenging Group C with Puerto Rico, Slovenia and hosts Türkiye.
New Zealand will however be buoyed by knowing their predecessors from 2024 made history by reaching the Semi-Finals and finishing fourth. The group from two years ago matched the country's best ever performance on the global stage with the team that took fourth at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2002. The Oceanians will likely be led by Tawhiri Cate, who was named to the All-Star Five last summer. But Larsen will need the likes of Sula and Noah Duncan to step up if they want to advance deep in the Knockout Phase.
Puerto Rico
4th appearance - Best finish: 3rd place (2018)
Puerto Rico are into the U17 World Cup for the fourth time and all three previous appearances saw them reach at least the Quarter-Finals. Their greatest performance came in 2018 when they beat FIBA Americas rivals Canada to take third place. Puerto Rico reached the U17 World Cup by taking fourth place at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2025, knocking off Argentina in the Quarter-Finals. The Americas side will face two European nations in Group C - Slovenia and hosts Türkiye - as well as New Zealand.
Last summer's team relied heavily on DJ Gaines, who collected 21.8 points, 3.2 assists and 2.8 steals per game. He was the only player who averaged in double figures - something that cannot happen if Puerto Rico want to do anything in the Knockout Phase.
Serbia
5th appearance - Best finish: 3rd place (2014)
Serbia are back at the FIBA U17 World Cup after missing out in 2024 and are making their fifth appearance - managing one podium finish with third place in 2014. The Serbs will be coming to Istanbul as the reigning FIBA U16 EuroBasket champions after taking the crown last summer. That was Srbije's first European cadet championship since 2007 - ending a near two-decade wait. That will put extra pressure on Serbia, who will face Australia, newcomers Venezuela and debutants Côte d'Ivoire in Group D and will be looking to finally get back to the podium.
They also have the tools to become the first nation to win the U17 World Cup besides the United States. Nikola Kusturica was the Most Valuable Player of the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025 while Petar Bjelica and Ognjen Simjanovski were also stars in the tournament. Serbia have even more weapons for opponents to worry about including Matija Lukic, Lazar Milicic and Luka Pavlovic.
Slovenia
2nd appearance - Best finish: 7th place (2022)
Slovenia are making the second appearance in the competition and the Balkan nation will be looking to build on its historic summer in 2025. Slovenia finished third at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 for their first podium finish at the junior global championship. They then took third place at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025 to not only book their ticket to Istanbul but also lock up their first cadet continental medal.
Slovenia have been drawn into Group C with Puerto Rico, hosts Türkiye and New Zealand. Slovenia have a couple of top level players who give head coach Gregor Gornjec the assurance that defenses cannot focus on just one player to stop the team. Lun Jarc is probably the biggest name but Bine Pregl can really score and playmake while Jakob Siftar is a budding elite scorer. Add to that trio the likes of Matic Rezec and Nejc Roznik and Slovenia fans can be excited about a possible deep run in the Knockout Phase.
Türkiye
4th appearance - Best finish: 2nd place (2016)
Türkiye will be hosting the U17 World Cup for a second straight edition and they took third place in 2024 - one spot lower on the podium than their other medal of second place in 2016. The Turks were already locked up a spot in the global competition but were hoping last summer to finally return to the podium at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket. But Türkiye ended up seventh and have not taken home a medal since third place in 2018. The hosts will have one of the top players in the event in Omer Kutluay, the playmaking son of former Turkish great Ibrahim Kutluay.
But the team has plenty of other weapons including Darius Karutasu, Demir Ozturk, Omer Alp Elitas and Noyan Tolan among others. Türkiye also will have the home fans behind them - something that carried the country to third place two years ago.
USA
8th appearance - Best finish: 1st place (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2024)
The United States have never lost a game in the history of the U17 World Cup, winning seven straight championships and compiling a 51–0 record. Until last week, however, they had also never lost in the FIBA U16 AmeriCup. But after winning nine titles in a row, they were beaten by Canada in the final of the 2026 edition.
Can it happen again in Istanbul?
The USA enter the U17 World Cup as the clear favorites, although they face the challenge of forming a team in such a short period of time. The Americans will face one of their biggest tests immediately in their Group A opener against France. They will then take on Japan and Italy in their other group-stage games.
USA head coach Scott Fitch will have no concerns about a lack of top talent.
Nasir Anderson and Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje are just two of the many, many names Fitch will have at his disposal. There will also be players like be CJ Rosser and Beckham Black. Most of the Americans' 10th, 11th and 12th players would be stars for most of the nations in Istanbul. So USA will likely just wear down opposing teams - and in the end it wouldn't be a surprise to make it eight straight titles.
Venezuela
1st appearance
Venezuela are making their first ever appearance in the FIBA U17 World Cup and the country's first showing on the youth continental stage since the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2003. Only a year after playing in the FIBA U18 AmeriCup for the first time since 2008, Venezuela made history by taking third place at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2025 - the country's first appearance in the cadet continental championship since 2017. The South American country have been drawn into Group D along with Australia, Côte d'Ivoire and Serbia. Venezuela's first game in the competition will be against fellow debutants Côte d'Ivoire.
Alexis Cedres' team will be battle-tested when it enters the Knockout Phase. And the team does have some good talent, topped by Julio Vásquez, the MVP of the FIBA South American U15 Championship 2024 and an All-Star Five selection at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup. There is also forward Kevin Gutierrez, three-point threat Williams Anillo, point guard Deiker Torres and intriguing 2011-born prospect Chris Echezuria.
FIBA