FIBA World Cup 2027 qualifiers enter a new phase
The FIBA World Cup 2027 qualifiers enter a new stage with the August FIBA window. Between August 27 and 31, European national teams will return to action, with many countries able to count on some of their biggest stars — although several key players will be unavailable.
Players such as Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Lauri Markkanen and Dennis Schroder are included in their respective national team squads, while several other European teams will have to face the upcoming games without important players.
Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Santi Aldama among the absences
Injuries, recovery processes, personal decisions and club planning have kept several major names out of the August window.
Among the most notable absences are Luka Doncic for Slovenia, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kostas Sloukas for Greece, and Santi Aldama for Spain.
Other prominent players unavailable for their national teams include Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas for Lithuania, Alperen Sengun for Turkey and Kristaps Porzingis for Latvia.
Biggest European absences in the August FIBA window
The following is the list of the most notable absences from the European national teams during the August FIBA window:
- Santi Aldama — Spain
- Luka Doncic — Slovenia
- Giannis Antetokounmpo — Greece
- Kostas Sloukas — Greece
- Alperen Sengun — Turkey
- Tarik Biberovic — Turkey
- Domantas Sabonis — Lithuania
- Jonas Valanciunas — Lithuania
- Matas Buzelis — Lithuania
- Kasparas Jakucionis — Lithuania
- Rokas Jokubaitis — Lithuania
- Ignas Brazdeikis — Lithuania
- Tadas Sedekerskis — Lithuania
- Kristaps Porzingis — Latvia
- Arturs Zagars — Latvia
- Rolands Smits — Latvia
- Rodions Kurucs — Latvia
- Franz Wagner — Germany
- Moritz Wagner — Germany
- Isaiah Hartenstein — Germany
- Andreas Obst — Germany (could join for the second game against Poland)
- Bogdan Bogdanovic — Serbia
- Vasilije Micic — Serbia
- Filip Petrusev — Serbia
- Deni Avdija — Israel
- Jeremy Sochan — Poland
- Nadir Hifi — France
Several European stars have retired from international basketball
There are also several notable absences that go beyond the August window itself. Giorgi Shermadini of Georgia, Nikola Vucevic of Montenegro and Davis Bertans of Latvia have recently announced their retirements from their respective national teams.
The August window will therefore provide an important test for several European contenders, with a number of teams forced to rely on different rotations as the FIBA World Cup 2027 qualifying campaign continues.
Commenta
Visualizza commenti