MIES (Switzerland) - The road to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 marches on with the Second Round of Qualifiers on the horizon and places still to be determined. With 32 sides dreaming of a plane ticket to Qatar in 2027, the pressure is mounting on the remaining teams hoping to advance to the next phase.
With four thrilling days of action to look forward to, here is a list of the players to watch out for in July’s window.
Matas Buzelis – Lithuania
FORWARD
Birth Date: Oct 13, 2004 (21 years old) Height: 208cm / 6’10” Team: Chicago Bulls (USA)
Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis will make his senior team debut in the upcoming windows as he highlights a fierce Lithuania side that will open against Great Britain in Klaipeda, followed by a road trip to face Italy. Group D is still all to play for, with all four teams still in the hunt to advance to the Second Round.
Buzelis comes off a stellar second NBA campaign with the Bulls; averaging 16.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in 29 minutes. He joins Jonas Valanciunas and Kasparas Jakucionis on the roster.
Rudy Gobert – France
CENTER
Birth Date: Jun 26, 1992 (33 years old) Height: 215cm / 7’1” Team: Minnesota Timberwolves (USA)
Suiting up for France for the first time since the Paris 2024 Olympic Basketball Tournament, Rudy Gobert will bring veteran experience to the national side for the July window as they prepare for an away game against Belgium, followed by a home tie against Finland in Pau.
Over the course of his lengthy career with the national side, which began in 2014 at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, Gobert has averaged 8.9 points and 7.6 rebounds, with a career high of 12.8 points and 9.3 rebounds at FIBA EuroBasket 2022 and will add a valuable inside presence and rim protection during these windows.
Hugo Gonzalez - Spain
GUARD
Birth Date: Feb 5, 2006 (20 years old) Height: 193cm / 6’4” Team: Boston Celtics (USA)
After a brilliant junior career with Spain, where he averaged 14.8 points and 6.2 rebounds, Hugo Gonzalez will look to make a name for himself on the international stage at the senior level.
The Boston Celtics guard appeared in two games during the EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers, averaging 10 points and 4.5 rebounds. As Spain prepares to face Denmark and Georgia, he will look to utilize his elite slashing ability, along with constant energy, to keep his side's momentum going and prove to be the future of the national team.
Nikola Jokic – Serbia
CENTER
Birth Date: Feb 19, 1995 (31 years old) Height: 211cm / 6’11” Team: Denver Nuggets (USA)
Fresh off a triple-double season with the Denver Nuggets, three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic will suit up as captain for Serbia in the July window, as they look to qualify from Group C with games at Switzerland and at home to Bosnia & Herzegovina in Belgrade, determining their fate.
Eager to bounce back following last summer’s FIBA EuroBasket that promised so much, but ultimately ended in the Round of 16, Jokic will look to guide Serbia to the Second Round on the back of a stellar season with the Nuggets, where he averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists.
Pelle Larsson – Sweden
SHOOTING GUARD
Birth Date: Feb 23, 2001 (25 years old) Height: 194 cm / 6'4" Team: Miami Heat (USA)
Coming off a memorable EuroBasket last summer, Pelle Larsson returns to the fold for Sweden, who still have life heading into the final window of the First Round of World Cup European Qualifiers.
Larsson starred for the Swedes at last year’s continental showpiece; averaging 18.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in six games, with his tournament high being a 28-point effort against Montenegro. Sweden will need his crafty playmaking and efficient scoring at the rim in their upcoming games, as they host Czechia in Stockholm before travelling to Ljubljana three days later to face Slovenia.
Lauri Markkanen – Finland
POWER FORWARD / CENTER
Birth Date: May 22, 1997 (29 years old) Height: 213cm / 7’0” Team: Utah Jazz (USA)
When he puts on the Finland jersey, Lauri Markkanen is, without a doubt, one of the best scorers in international basketball. Since coming into the spotlight at FIBA EuroBasket 2017, Markkanen has electrified audiences with his deep range of offensive weapons, including his attacking prowess at the rim.
Markkanen has averaged 20 points per game in every tournament for Finland since 2019, capped by 23.1 points and 8.1 rebounds at last summer’s EuroBasket, where he steered his nation to fourth place - their best ever finish at the event.
Alperen Sengun – Türkiye
POWER FORWARD / CENTER
Birth Date: Jul 25, 2002 (23 years old) Height: 206 cm / 6'9" Team: Houston Rockets (USA)
Türkiye head into their final two games assured of qualification to the next phase of the Qualifiers, but they are looking to finish the window spotless at 6-0, with Alperen Sengun headlining their roster.
Sengun averaged 21.6 points and 10.1 rebounds at last summer’s EuroBasket and showed the world stage his full range of offensive weapons from both inside and out. Ahead of Türkiye’s games against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Switzerland, if they get the full range of Sengun, then they will be good money to enter the Second Round undefeated.
Toko Shengelia - Georgia
POWER FORWARD
Birth Date: Oct 5, 1991 (34 years old) Height: 205cm / 6’9” Team: FC Barcelona (ESP)
Already guaranteed a spot in the Second Round of Qualifiers via Group A, Georgia will want to end this window with momentum going into August's fixtures.
They will have veteran Toko Shengelia in their ranks, who, at 34, shows no signs of slowing down. The power forward has put solid numbers of 19.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in the Qualifiers so far, and his versatile scoring input and superb court vision will be a plus for the Georgians as they face Ukraine and Spain.
Ivica Zubac – Croatia
CENTER
Birth Date: Mar 18, 1997 (29 years old) Height: 215cm / 7’1” Team: Indiana Pacers (USA)
Ivica Zubac hasn’t featured for Croatia since the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but while he has been on international duty, the Indiana Pacers man has been in blistering form, most notably at the aforementioned event in Greece, where he averaged 22.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. Prior to that, he averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 boards in two games at the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers.
He will lead Croatia’s frontcourt in this upcoming window by utilizing his strengths in interior scoring and strong reads, allowing for emphatic rim protection as they face Cyprus and Israel in Group E, where Croatia have already advanced to the Second Round.
FIBA