MUNICH (Germany) - Records tumbled on an eventful day of FIBA Basketball World Cup European Qualifiers action.
Croatia put on an offensive clinic on the way to the biggest-ever winning margin in World Cup Qualifiers as they also tied the scoring record in Europe in beating Cyprus 123-50 - less than an hour after Poland had set the new mark against Austria.
Poland shot 62.3 percent from the floor with 16 three-pointers in the 123-77 success, as all 12 players got onto the scoresheet. Lukasz Kolenda led the rout with 23 points, while Mateusz Ponitka added 18 points.
Later, Croatia had a historic triple-double from Mario Hezonja - the first in European Qualifiers history - as they raced out of the blocks with 35 points in the opening quarter, and never looked back. Hezonja's 13 assists were part of 43 in total, as Croatia broke their own record.
Most points in a single game (team) in World Cup European Qualifiers:
# | Team | Opponent | Year | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Poland | Austria | 2026 | 123 |
= | Croatia | Cyprus | 2026 | 123 |
3. | Germany | Israel | 2018 | 112 |
4. | Latvia | Türkiye | 2022 | 111 |
5. | Iceland | Italy | 2022 | 107 |
Most points in a single game (team) in World Cup European Qualifiers:
# | Team | Opponent | Year | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Croatia | Cyprus | 2026 | 43* |
2. | Croatia | Cyprus | 2025 | 32 |
3. | Poland | Kosovo | 2018 | 31 |
= | Latvia | Türkiye | 2022 | 31 |
5. | Serbia | Israel | 2019 | 30 |
= | Poland | Austria | 2026 | 30 |
*overall World Cup Qualifiers record
Biggest winning margins in World Cup Qualifiers:
Rank | Team | Opponent | Year | Result | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Croatia | Cyprus | 2026 | 123-50 | +73 |
2. | Australia | Guam | 2026 | 124-52 | +72 |
3. | Tunisia | Chad | 2017 | 101-40 | +61 |
4. | New Zealand | Hong Kong | 2017 | 133-74 | +59 |
= | New Zealand | Hong Kong | 2018 | 124-65 | +59 |
= | Mexico | Colombia | 2023 | 113-54 | +59 |
Triple-doubles in World Cup European Qualifiers:
Rank | Player | Team | Statline |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Mario Hezonja | Croatia | 11 PTS, 10 REB, 12 AST |
FIBA