TRENTINO (Italy) - Slovenia's wait for their first FIBA U18 EuroBasket crown is finally over after beating hosts Italy 88-71 in the 2026 Final.
Their only previous Final at the event came in 2002 when they lost to Croatia. Italy, for their part, are still looking for their second title following 1990, as they came up short in front of over 3000 supporters.
Stay up to date with the tournament and check out the latest results, group standings and competition system for all the information you need.
Key Storylines
Slovenia roll to historic first-ever U18 crown;
France down Spain for third place in battle;
Germany ease past Greece, grab final spot at FIBA U19 World Cup;
Austria stave off relegation on Thompson's game-winning layup with 2.4 seconds left, sends Latvia to Division B.
Slovenia take Italian run, roll to easy victory
Slovenia's great summer continued by ending their long wait and collecting their first-ever U18 EuroBasket crown. The Slovenians ended up making it easy with an 88-71 victory in front of 3,218 fans at the BTS Arena in Trento - many of supporters from their home land.
It was the biggest winning margin in a U18 EuroBasket Final since Türkiye beat Serbia 85-68 in 2014. The victory also gave Slovenia a second continental crown this summer as they won the FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2026 on July 19.
Slovenia did not wait to punch Italy early and led 27-15 after 10 minutes. The cushion swelled to 19 points - 36-17 - midway through the second quarter, which ended with Slovenia up 50-37.
Italy came out hot to start the second half and the lead was down to 50-46. Slovenia responded with a 15-2 run and the margin was 17 points again 65-48, and the lead was 70-52 after 30 minutes. Italy were never able to challenge in the final frame.
Stefan Joksimovic was outstanding throughout the game with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners while Lukas Bojovic added 21 points and Maks Ciperle chipped in 9 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
Cheickh Niang scored 27 points as the only player in double figures for the Italians.
France down Spain to take third place
France bounced back from their heartbreaking Semi-Finals loss to Italy by beating reigning champions Spain 74-69 in the Third Place Game. France picked up their third bronze medal and finished on the podium for the 11th time in the competition's history.
France led 35-20 midway through the second quarter but Spain worked their way back into the game. They made it 49-48 with 4 minutes to go in the third quarter and knotted things at 62-62 with 6 minutes to play.
It remained tight but Madiba Diaby Cisse put back an offensive rebound with 47 seconds to make it 71-67 and Louka Letailleur finished it off with two foul shots with 5.0 seconds left.
Hugo Yimga had 16 points and Letailleur added 12 points and 9 rebounds in the win while Diego Niebla scored 17 points in the loss.
Top Performers
Austria picked up a massive victory as they beat Latvia 73-71 in the waning seconds of the Classification 13-14. That means Austria will remain in Division A and Latvia are relegated to Division B. Lenny Benczak had a big game with 27 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
Greece were not as lucky in their big game in Classification 5-6 as they lost 99-69 to Germany, meaning they missed on the final spot for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2027.
Chrysostomos Chatzilamprou was one of Greece's few effective players with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists.
Germany for their part accomplished their minimum goal in sealing a spot at next year's U19 World Cup. Dusan Ilic was big for the Germans with 16 points on 4 three-pointers, 3 rebounds, 11 assists and 2 steals.
Israel finished their tournament on a high note as they beat Türkiye 85-79 in Classification 7-8. Omri Orland had a nice game for Israel with 20 points, 3 rebounds and 10 assists.
Ignas Stombergas continued his big tournament with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks, as Lithuania also went home on a positive as they defeated Denmark 91-83 in Classification 11-12.
Results of the Day
Final
Slovenia 88-71 Italy
Third Place Game
Spain 69-74 France
Classification 5-6
Greece 69-99 Germany
Classification 7-8
Israel 85-79 Türkiye
Classification 9-10
Serbia 77-67 Estonia
Classification 11-12
Denmark 83-91 Lithuania
Classification 13-14
Latvia 71-73 Austria
Classification 15-16
Bulgaria 72-74 Slovakia
FIBA