MUNICH (Germany) - The road to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 tips off in earnest on November 27 with the start of Window 1 of the European Qualifiers across the continent.
The venues and tip-off times for the first grouping of fixtures have now been confirmed, with the full schedule for Window 1, to be played across Europe from November 27 to December 1, can be found here.
The top three teams in each group will advance to the Second Round of the European Qualifiers, where they will continue their qualification battles for one of 12 tickets reserved for European teams.
All teams will carry over the results from the First Round, ensuring every single game has meaning in the Road to Qatar 2027.
For more on the competition system, see here.
Türkiye vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
Date: Nov 27 - 19:00 CET - Turkcell Basketball Development Centre, Istanbul (TUR)
Türkiye arrive in the World Cup Qualifiers off an impressive FIBA EuroBasket 2025 run, where they reached the Final, while Bosnia and Herzegovina also turned heads by breaking through to the Round of 16. Both teams will aim to carry that summer momentum forward as they open their campaigns in what promises to be a high-stakes matchup. The two nations haven't faced each other since 2004, and Bosnia and Herzegovina will be chasing their first-ever win against Türkiye.
Italy vs Iceland
Date: Nov 27 - 20:00 CET - Palazzetto Dello Sport, Tortona (ITA)
Iceland have no reason to feel like an underdog in their Group D opener in Italy after beating the Italians in their last matchup - just over a year ago on the road with an 81-74 victory in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. Iceland also split their games in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers, winning 107-105 in a double overtime thriller at home in February 2022.
Germany vs Israel
Date: Nov 28 - 19:30 CET - Ratiopharm Arena, Neu-Ulm (GER)
The freshly-crowned FIBA EuroBasket 2025 champions begin the road to the defense of their FIBA Basketball World Cup championship at home in Neu-Ulm. And the first opponent in Group E is a well-known foe as the Germans and Israelis have faced off in the last two European Qualifiers campaigns: splitting the games ahead of 2019 and Germany sweeping the games for 2023.
Slovenia vs Estonia
Date: Nov 28 - 18:00 CET - Bonfika Arena, Koper (SLO)
Slovenia will enter their home game in Group H as favorites over Estonia but the Slovenians actually lost their last meeting against Estonia, who won 79-78 in February 2023 in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers. Slovenia won the other four games against Estonia.
Lithuania vs Italy
Date: Nov 30 - 17:30 CET - Svyturio Arena, Klaipeda (LTU)
The two big names in Group D face off in Klaipeda with Lithuania holding a convincing 12-4 all-time series record. But they have only met once since 2019, with Lithuania securing an 88-64 win in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 Puerto Rico. The winner of this game will hold the inside track to take first place in the group.
Portugal vs Greece
Date: Nov 30 - 18:00 CET - Centro de Desportos e Congressos de Matosinhos, Matosinhos (POR)
Portugal and Greece enter the World Cup Qualifiers riding the wave of their FIBA EuroBasket 2025 highs. Greece finally ended their long senior national team medal drought, with Giannis Antetokounmpo powering them to bronze; their first podium finish since 2009. Portugal, meanwhile, made a triumphant return to the continental stage, appearing at EuroBasket for the first time since 2011. History leans heavily toward Greece, who have won all three previous head-to-head matchups by an average margin of more than 30 points. However, their last meeting came back in 2007, and plenty has changed since then.
Spain vs Georgia
Date: Nov 30 - 18:45 CET - Santiago Martin Arena, La Laguna (ESP)
Most people would think this should be a comfortable victory for Spain but Georgia have actually won two of the last three games - including eliminating the then-reigning champions at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025. The Group A game will be the first with Chus Mateo as new Spanish head coach, replacing the departed and wildly successful Sergio Scariolo.
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Serbia
Date: Nov 30 - 20:00 CET - Dvorana "Mirza Delibasic" - Skenderija, Sarajevo (BIH)
Two teams will return to the court after wildly different results at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025. Serbia crashed out against Finland in the Round of 16 this summer while Bosnia and Herzegovina reached the Round of 16 for the first time since 1993. This is just the second showdown of these two Balkan sides with Serbia winning the only previous game - a 77-67 win in the first round of FIBA EuroBasket 2013.
Finland vs France
Date: Dec 1 - 17:30 CET - Espoo Metro Arena, Espoo (FIN)
France cannot go into the game in Espoo overconfident in Group G, especially considering results from the most recent competition. Finland defeated Serbia in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Knockout Phase en route to a historic fourth place showing. Les Bleus, for their part, were shocked by Georgia in the Round of 16. In fact, Finland also have won two of the last three games with a win in the Group Phase of the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 and splitting the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers contests.
Israel vs Croatia
Date: Dec 1 - 20:00 CET - Xiaomi Arena, Riga (LAT)
Coming off a disappointing absence from FIBA EuroBasket 2025, Croatia enter the new qualifying campaign with plenty to prove. The Balkan side have also missed the last two FIBA Basketball World Cups and even failed to advance beyond the First Round of the 2023 European Qualifiers. Their opponents, Israel, haven't featured at a World Cup since 1986. The last time the two nations squared off was back at FIBA EuroBasket 2009, when Croatia claimed an 86-79 victory.
FIBA