RIJEKA & OPATIJA (Croatia) - Netherlands and Poland have earned promotion to Division A after winning their Semi-Finals at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2026, Division B.
Czechia and Belgium will play for the third promotion spot on Sunday after falling short in their last four encounters.
Netherlands carry big fourth quarter start back to Division A
Netherlands will be playing in Division A for the first time since 2019 after beating Czechia 78-66 in the Semi-Finals.
Their previous top flight appearance came in 1990, took control of the game with a 13-0 run to start the fourth quarter for a 68-51 lead.
All five Netherlands starters scored in double figures, topped by Tayshawn Gipson with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, while Yanu Slingerland had 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Czechia take on Belgium for third place with the last time they played in Division A back in 2023. Marek Houska's 19 points and 6 assists were not enough.
Poland return to Division A for first time since 2023
Poland will be returning to Division A for the first time since 2023 after getting past Belgium 89-81 in the Semi-Finals.
After initially taking command of the game, Poland used a 9-2 surge in the third quarter to open a 58-46 lead. Belgium twice were able to cut the deficit to four points in the third quarter but could not get closer the rest of the way.
August Chalupa paced Poland with 24 points and Hubert Swirydowicz added 18 points and 7 rebounds in the win. Aaron Ona Embo poured in 37 points in the loss.
Final
Poland vs Netherlands
Third Place Game
Belgium vs Czechia
FIBA