LJUBLJANA (Slovenia) - Hosts Slovenia will battle against Serbia for the title at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2026 after both sides fought through their Semi-Finals showdowns in exciting fashion.
Those games highlighted a day that also saw a rare triple-double and the first teams to be relegated to Division B.
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 charge past France late and will go for third title;
Serbia too strong for Spain, will battle for fourth crown;
Rany Belaga registers 8th triple-double in U20 EuroBasket history;
Belgium and Romania relegated to Division B.
Padjen leads Slovenia to comeback, into Final
Slovenia gave their home fans a reason to celebrate in the streets of Ljubljana as they rallied in the fourth quarter to knock off France 91-89 and reach the Final - aiming for their third crown following 2000 and 2004.
Slovenia trailed 82-75 with 5 minutes to go but Mark Padjen scored 8 straight points in a 13-0 run to lead 88-82. France tied the game 89-89 but Filip Petkovski made two free throws with 1.0 seconds left for the win.
With MVP candidate Urban Kroflic going out in the first quarter and not coming back, Padjen poured in 25 points to pace the hosts while Petkovski added 14 points. France could not use Maidy Douglas' 32 points and still have a final chance againt Spain to reach the podium.
Serbia set up date in Final with Slovenia
Serbia set up a date with Slovenia in the Final after they withstood a fightback from Spain to win 72-65 in the Semi-Finals. They are hunting to add a fourth trophy following 2007, 2008 and 2015.
Serbia raced away in the first quarter and were ahead 25-11 after 10 minutes. The advantage grew to 19 points early in the second period and the Serbs were still up by 18 points in the opening minutes of the second half.
Spain finally found their way back into the game and trimmed the deficit to six points - 55-49 late in the third quarter. The Serbs were still up 62-53 with 7 minutes to go only to see Spain make it 62-59 with under 4 minutes to play. But Uros Suput answered with a triple and the Spanish momentum was done.
Andrej Lucic scored 20 points for the Serbs with Mitar Bosnjakovic adding 17 points and Nikola Dzepina chipping in 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 asists and 5 blocks. Iker Garmendia tallied 16 points in the losing effort for Spain, who will face France for third place.
Top Performers
Rany Belaga registered the eighth triple-double in U20 EuroBasket history in Israel's 96-84 win over Latvia. The guard collected 16 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists while also swiping 1 steal.
Türkiye will be playing for fifth place on the final day of action in Ljubljana after getting a 73-72 victory over Croatia in Classification 5-8 action. Point guard Kaan Onat poured in 23 points, including the game winning layup with 6.1 seconds left. He also added 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals in the win.
Another major factor in Türkiye's win was Salih Altuntas, who paced the winners in scoring with 24 points on 10 of 14 shots and 4 of 5 free throws. The center also grabbed 8 rebounds to go with 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks.
Arturs Ozols did all he could for Latvia with 18 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks, but they were not enough in the aforementioned loss to Israel.
France nearly took down the hosts Slovenia in the Semi-Finals but could not see it across the line in losing 91-89. Maidy Douglas came off the bench for the French and almost carried them into the Final as he drained 32 points on 11 of 16 shots and 8 of 11 free throws. He also grabbed 1 rebound.
Results of the Day
Semi-Finals
France 89-91 Slovenia Spain 65-72 Serbia
Classification 5-8
Croatia 72-73 Türkiye Germany 58-73 Greece
Classification 9-12
Poland 84-100 Lithuania Latvia 74-96 Israel
Classification 13-16
Czechia 86-82 Belgium Romania 69-96 Italy
Final
Slovenia vs Serbia
Third Place Game
France vs Spain
Classification 5-6
Türkiye vs Greece
Classification 7-8
Croatia vs Germany
Classification 9-10
Lithuania vs Israel
Classification 11-12
Poland vs Latvia
Classification 13-14
Czechia vs Italy
Classification 15-16
Belgium vs Romania
FIBA