MUNICH (Germany) - The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers tip off next week. A total of 32 teams are spread across eight groups, with the top three advancing to the Second Round.
The teams will play a pair of games in November and December 2025, followed by another pair in February and March 2026, and the First Round concludes in July 2026.
The Second Round starts immediately after, in August, followed by another couple of windows in November 2026 and February/March 2027.
We will be monitoring each country's progress in our Power Rankings before and after each window.
#1 Germany
Schedule: vs. Israel - November 28; @ Cyprus - December 1
Can't do Power Rankings any other way than putting the reigning World Cup winners at the top. Especially when you know they are also the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 champions, too.
Some old familiar faces on the preliminary roster, some new faces, with the inclusion of Collin Welp being one of the best stories of the window. Collin, of course, is Christian's son.
Christian, of course, is the man who dunked down the biggest and-one in FIBA EuroBasket history, for the win in the Final, taking Germany to the top.
"I want to play for the German national team one day - just like my father did. The German squad is better than ever, and it's difficult to get in. But I will fight hard for it," Collin said in October.
Inches away from achieving the dream.
#2 Türkiye
Schedule: vs. BIH - November 27; @ Switzerland - November 30
Reaching the Final of EuroBasket 2025 was exactly what was needed for Türkiye to bring the nation back to the top echelon of European basketball, and when you look at their roster for this window, it's only a discussion of #1 or #2 for the Power Rankings.
Coach Ergin Ataman created a monster of a team, and we're looking forward to seeing the capacity crowd in Istanbul greet their heroes as they take on BIH on Thursday.
Anything but a 2-0 Window would be a gigantic surprise.
#3 Greece
Schedule: vs. Romania - November 27; @ Portugal - November 30
Breathe easy, Greece. We know you had a tired back of carrying that large load after spending years and years as main contenders at basically every single event you entered.
You finally got your medal. And yes, we all know what that means. It's always like that with Greek basketball, one medal follows another immediately after, like 1987 and 1989; like 2005 and 2006 and 2009; like 2025 and...
We're not gonna say it. But you know it. Same as Türkiye, anything but a 2-0 window would be stunning.
#4 Serbia
Schedule: vs. Switzerland - November 27, @ BIH - November 30
Here's to new beginnings! The era of Svetislav Pesic is behind us, and after the old school mastermind, Serbia went with a different approach for his successor, bringing in one of the most interesting young coaches in Dusan Alimpijevic.
He's a winner, he led Besiktas to a 14-2 start to the season in the Turkish Basketbol Super Ligi (8-0) and the EuroCup (6-2). Ideal person to flip the script, turn the page, and inspire a new run for Serbia.
#5 France
Schedule: vs. Belgium - November 28; @ Finland - December 1
First things first, France are set to take on Belgium for the 500th time in history - okay, maybe not 500th, but these guys go way, way, waaaay, WAAAAAY back. They actually played a game at the Roland Garros Stadium 97 years ago.
Yep. Not a typo.
Okay, France will face a familiar foe on Friday, then fly to Finland, so it's not exactly a situation like Germany, Türkiye or Greece, where you'd be shocked with anything other than 2-0's.
But still, a 2-0 start to the Qualifiers would be a powerful statement that nothing's wrong after an abysmal summer at EuroBasket 2025.
#6 Lithuania
Schedule: @ Great Britain - November 27; vs. Italy - November 30
Incredibly strong roster for Lithuania this time around, and it sets us up for a firecracker of a duel with Italy on Sunday.
Vaidas Kariniauskas is back on the roster, remember him? Of course you remember him. Everybody remembers him.
#7 Finland
Schedule: @ Hungary - November 28; vs. France - December 1
Plenty of EuroBasket heroes are returning to this lineup, with Mikael Jantunen, Miro Little, Alex Madsen, Edon Maxhuni, Miikka Muurinen, Olivier Nkamhoua, Sasu Salin, Ilari Seppala and Elias Valtonen all included in the preliminary roster.
Among the others, plenty of kids born in 2000 or later, including Aaron Ekwere, U20 EuroBasket 2025 monster born in December 2006.
Don't worry about Finland, EuroBasket 2025 was not a one-hit wonder.
#8 Poland
Schedule: vs. Austria - November 28; @ Netherlands - December 1
Just here to tell you that Jerrick Harding is on the roster.
Just here to tell you that Jerrick Harding broke the scoring record at Weber State back in the days, overtaking a certain player you may have heard about, some Damian Lillard kid, heard he's good, so yeah, there's that.
Just here to tell you that Jerrick Harding has played a total of 69 minutes in the Basketball Champions League this season, and has scored 72 points for Rytas Vilnius.
"He's a very humble person and a great player. In crucial moments, all the lights will go on him. You are lucky to have him as well."
Get your popcorn ready, because Jerrick Harding is on the roster.
#9 Slovenia
Schedule: vs. Estonia - November 28; @ Sweden - December 1
Wanna feel old? Good: Zak Smrekar, born in August 2006, is on this roster, coming in as a guy who averages 7.8 points in 18.8 minutes for Krka in the Adriatic League.
Wanna feel older? Great: Smrekar is not the youngest player on this roster.
Stefan Joksimovic, Nebojsa's son, just turned 17 this past week. He's playing his first pro season with Baskonia, and the national team is keen on making a point they are counting on him already.
Two tough games against teams which have their EuroBasket cores together, but this ninth spot is more like a reward for betting on the youngsters. Youth is always the way to go, right? Right.
#10 Georgia
Schedule: vs. Ukraine - November 27; @ Spain - November 30
It will for sure be an emotional Sunday in Tenerife. Giorgi Shermadini, the gentle giant who found home in La Laguna Tenerife since 2019, will have to enter the visitors' locker room, and the local fans will get to feel what it's like to face a two-time Spanish Liga Endesa Most Valuable Player.
Thad McFadden is also on the roster, and we don't even have to say Toko Shengelia is there, right? Plenty of experience, but with these guys, it's like they don't age, you kinda expect all of them to be on the roster in 2031, too.
#11 Spain
Schedule: @ Denmark - November 27; vs. Georgia - November 30
A new era begins with coach Chus Mateo.
The roster features some well known names, like the perennial Qualifiers hero Santi Yusta, one of Europe's best on-ball defenders Alberto Diaz, a rejuvenated Jaime Fernandez who has been on a tear with La Laguna Tenerife, and his club teammate Fran Guerra in the middle to handle the Shermadini challenge on Sunday.
However, this is your cue to be excited to see Izan Almansa's recent progress through Liga U22:
#12 Italy
Schedule: vs. Iceland - November 27; @ Lithuania - November 30
Low-key the toughest schedule for all the big name nations.
They dropped a pair of games to Iceland in 2022 and 2024, so don't expect it to be a walk in the park for the new coach Luca Banchi in the new arena in Tortona.
Then, the Italians travel to Lithuania. All-time score vs. Lithuania in FIBA games? Glad you asked, 4-12.
Score in last 20 years? Glad you asked, 1-7.
Actually, scratch this. It's the toughest schedule, not "low-key" nothing.
#13 Latvia
Schedule: vs. Netherlands - November 28; @ Austria - December 1
Coach Sito Alonso has big shoes to fill after Luca Banchi left the country, but hey, he's currently leading UCAM Murcia to a 12-4 record in all competitions this season, top of their group in the FIBA Europe Cup, and trailing only Real Madrid and Valencia in the Spanish Liga Endesa.
He gets a balanced team, with a rock solid mix of experience and players entering their prime. They were the Qualifiers masters under Banchi, time to regain that title with Alonso, too.
#14 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Schedule: @ Türkiye - November 27; vs. Serbia - November 30
It has been a fine summer out of nowhere for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it seems like reaching the Knockout Phase in Riga got their appetite started, because they went and signed one of the finest coaches around in Dario Gjergja.
It's a different kind of challenge for the Croatian playcaller, who made a name for himself in Belgium. But facing the challenge with guys like Amar Alibegovic, Emir Sulejmanovic, Edin Atic and others, that sounds like a fun trip.
Ah yes, forget Italy - BIH have the toughest schedule because what the heck is this up there!?
#15 Israel
Schedule: @ Germany - November 28; vs. Croatia - December 1 (in Riga, Latvia)
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv are top of the EuroLeague. Hapoel Netanel Holon are the overtime kings of the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL. Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem share top of their group in the EuroCup.
So now the only question is whether all the Hapoels' players can work together in the national team, too, and find a win or two against Germany and Croatia.
One name having a crazy improved season: Noam Yaacov, the 21-year-old who's getting 15.4 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 62 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range with Filou Oostende in the BNXT League.
#16 Estonia
Schedule: @ Slovenia - November 28; vs. Czechia - December 1
There are still probably some bitter feelings about not making the Round of 16 of EuroBasket. Especially with that wave of 8,000 traveling fans coming to Latvia from Estonia, creating memories for a lifetime.
Well, good news. You're in Top 16 here!
Okay, actual good news: You finally get a chance to wear the colors of the national team and start the new cycle. Plenty of youngsters coming through various ranks, and Estonia hosting the next EuroBasket - that's plenty of reason to be optimistic ahead of the road game in Slovenia and home game vs. Czechia.
Estonia had one of the strongest starts to EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers, keep that in mind.
#17 Montenegro
Schedule: vs. Portugal - November 27; @ Romania - November 30
For the first time in a long time, Nikola Vucevic is not a part of the national team anymore. Bojan Dubljevic, however, is back in action for the first time in a year.
The initial roster also includes Kendrick Perry, Unicaja's talismanic leader who is having a rock solid start to another campaign in Malaga. His presence in the locker room means more than the numbers he puts up, maybe that's the exact reason he's back on the list again.
#18 Portugal
Schedule: @ Montenegro - November 27; vs. Greece - November 30
The schedule isn't all that promising to start a new campaign, but having watched these guys play and breathe together in Latvia in August and September, they don't care.
They really don't. You could put Montenegro and Greece, or Serbia and Latvia in front of them, and they'll approach it the same way, writing another and another and another new page of the Portuguese history books.
However, being 18th here is not enough. There are only 12 European tickets to Qatar 2027, so Portugal need to go 1-1 or 2-0, or at least 0-2 with like -2 points difference now.
The EuroBasket experience was amazing. What will be even better is continuity at major events.
#19 Croatia
Schedule: vs. Cyprus - November 28; @ Israel - December 1 (in Riga, Latvia)
Welcome back, Croatia! The nation is ready to start a new chapter, having missed the FIBA EuroBasket 2025, and having missed the World Cups in 2019 and 2023.
Crazy to think they were inches away from a Semi-Finals spot at Rio 2016, or that they were a game away from potentially reaching Paris 2024 in the Final against Greece in Piraeus, meaning they are either really good or non-existent.
That last sentence from Portugal's part can be applied here. It's time to stop missing major events, and it starts by going 2-0 in this window.
#20 Sweden
Schedule: @ Czechia - November 28; vs. Slovenia - December 1
Simon Birgander is not on the list - that's the only reason we don't have Sweden in the Top 15 here, honestly.
He was a one-man wrecking crew in the Knockout Phase of the EuroBasket, nearly upsetting Alperen Sengun and Türkiye, but family comes first, so instead of putting on his favorite jersey, he's set to welcome a new addition to his family and we wish him nothing but the best.
Eight players on the list were born in 2000 or later, while Tobias Borg is the only one older than 30. Plan is obvious here, right? Right.
#21 Hungary
Schedule: vs. Finland - November 28; @ Belgium - December 1
This could be a tricky team for any opponent. They've got two legit 20-point scorers in David Vojvoda and Zoltan Perl, they've got the verticality of Nate Reuvers and Gyorgy Goloman, and Szilard Benke's quick hands which will probably lead the steals stats after the Window.
But the one who really established himself as the next big thing from Hungary is Adam Somogyi. The skillful point guard is 25 now, and he's dishing out crazy assists day in, day out in the Hungarian League, averaging 10.0 of them per game.
In fact, he dished out 10+ assists in six of his last seven games in all competitions. No wonder his NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz are still unbeaten after ten games in Hungary!
#22 Denmark
Schedule: vs. Spain - November 27; @ Ukraine - November 30 (in Riga, Latvia)
Gustav Drejer Erichsen is on the preliminary roster.
Gustav Drejer Erichsen was born in February 2009.
Gustav Drejer Erichsen just had 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting for the Vaerlose Blue Hawks in the Danish League on Thursday.
February 2009.
Okay.
#23 Ukraine
Schedule: @ Georgia - November 27; vs. Denmark - November 30 (in Riga, Latvia)
With Alex Len back in Europe, there were hopes he could be back on the national team roster, but it did not happen in this window.
However, probably an even bigger blow is not having Issuf Sanon around, as he was on a tear, scoring 19+ points in four of his last five games with Slask Wroclaw. No Zotov, Bliznyuk, Herun, Skapintsev...
The list goes on and on, and it feels like this is another "oh what could've been" window for Ukraine.
#24 Iceland
Schedule: @ Italy - November 27; vs. Great Britain - November 30
All the big names are back for another run with Iceland, and that Sunday game could be crucial to push them through among the last 24. Yes, we're already talking about crucial games, and we haven't even tipped off...
That's because Italy and Lithuania are the clear favorites in this group. Meaning, Iceland and Great Britain could decide who's advancing and who's not.
Meaning, points difference and head-to-head duels are "decisive or critical, especially in the success or failure of something."
That's Google's definition of "crucial."
#25 Belgium
Schedule: @ France - November 28; vs. Hungary - December 1
This season, Nanterre 92 are one of the best stories in the French League, climbing to a 6-2 record early in the season. Previous couple of seasons, Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball, or SQBB, were one of the best stories in the French League, getting the results while also promoting youngsters on the biggest stages.
Why is that important? Because Julien Mahe is behind both those success stories. And after Dario Gjergja's departure, he took over as the head coach of Belgium.
It's not going to be easy, especially opening his account with a road game in France, but Belgian fans are probably hoping for an at least 1-1 window. Some even dream of 2-0, because if somebody knows France, it's coach Mahe.
#26 Netherlands
Schedule: @ Latvia - November 28; vs. Poland - December 1
Tough schedule for the Netherlands, but they've got their usual suspects in fine form. The two Yannicks, Franke and Kraag, are playing really well in Türkiye and Spain, respectively, with Franke being the seventh best scorer of the league at 16.5 points per game.
Keye van der Vuurst de Vries is also in Türkiye, and he's leading the assists per game department with 8.4 with Buyukcekmece, and don't forget about the N'Guessan brothers, both in Germany right now.
See, plenty of quality there. Just a tough group for them, with two toughest opponents to start the campaign.
#27 Czechia
Schedule: vs. Sweden - November 28; @ Estonia - December 1
Placing Czechia so low is just a repercussion of their 0-5, -96 performance at the EuroBasket in Latvia. Also, because they are playing against Sweden and Estonia, both teams that finished above them in that event.
The best part about this group is that the core has been together for years, meaning Tomas Satoransky and Jan Vesely were named to the preliminary roster, again.
One win could push them to Top 20 here. Two wins and we could be talking about another global appearance for these guys.
#28 Great Britain
Schedule: vs. Lithuania - November 27; @ Iceland - November 30
The worst part about this is that they have to play two road games in this window. Sure, they host Lithuania in London, but there's nearly 200,000 Lithuanians living in Great Britain, and they call London the third city of Lithuania, because Vilnius and Kaunas are the only two cities with more Lithuanians than in London.
And you know they are crazy about basketball. But the good thing about being the underdog in both games is that you can easily get catapulted into the Top 15 with a pair of wins. Crazier things have happened...
#29 Switzerland
Schedule: @ Serbia - November 27; vs. Türkiye - November 30
Yeah, that's a rude schedule to welcome somebody back to this stage.
But then again, Switzerland eliminated France from the U19 World Cup last summer, so who are we to say they aren't good enough to stun Serbia and/or Türkiye in November?
#30 Austria
Schedule: @ Poland - November 28; vs. Latvia - December 1
Talk about a mountain to climb... Austria have not played a major event since 1977, and they never made the World Cup.
But these guys are tough, as evident by the way they defeated the Netherlands and Bulgaria to reach the Qualifiers. Facing a pair of juggernauts in Poland and Latvia, it's going to be a bit different to what they're used to, but hey, it's a chance to grow and improve.
A win here, a win there, and they could be in the Second Round of these Qualifiers. One step at a time, just like in the Pre-Qualifiers nearly two years ago.
#31 Romania
Schedule: @ Greece - November 27; vs. Montenegro - November 30
Storming past North Macedonia and Hungary was impressive in the Pre-Qualifiers this past summer.
But it doesn't get any tougher than what they have in the Qualifiers now, as they have to eliminate either Greece or Montenegro or Portugal to sneak into the Second Round.
It's not impossible, though. Not a lot of people saw them winning a group with North Macedonia and Hungary, but it happened, so don't stop believing, Romania!
#32 Cyprus
Schedule: @ Croatia - November 28; vs. Germany - December 1
Look at that schedule...
The last time they played Croatia in Croatia, they got blown out by 29 points. Then, they play host to the reigning champions, also the EuroBasket winners nowadays.
Bottom place here simply for the brutal schedule, that's all.
Note: The Power Rankings are entirely subjective and is in no way a true, accurate ranking system. All comments are purely those of the author.