MIES (Switzerland) - The journey to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 gets underway this week, with the European Qualifiers tipping off through eight exciting matchups on Thursday night.
The opening jump ball comes in Thessaloniki, where Greece welcome Romania, before the action continues across Europe in what promises to be a thrilling start to the qualification pathway to FIBA's flagship event in Qatar.
With every result carrying through to the Second Round, each game has the potential to make or break a nation's hopes of eventually reaching the World Cup.
Who do you think will start their campaign with a win? Cast your vote below and let us know!
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Thad McFadden (Georgia) has scored more points than any other player in the European Qualifiers (324). His teammate Giorgi Shermadini is one of only two other players to also reach the 300-point mark (307).
Tryggvi Hlinason (Iceland) has recorded 30 blocks in the World Cup Qualifiers, the most by any European player, with no one else surpassing 21. He also holds the single-game highs for rebounds (21) and efficiency (50), both achieved in the same game against Italy in February 2022.
Denmark and Switzerland are set to play their first-ever games in the World Cup Qualifiers, having never advanced beyond the Pre-Qualifiers previously.
Romania return to the World Cup Qualifiers for the first time since the 2019 cycle, when they finished with a 2–4 record.
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