The Greece national basketball team started preparations on Friday for two critical FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 qualifying matches against Ukraine and Spain.
Head coach Vassilis Spanoulis led the first training session with 16 players, as the squad aims to secure qualification for next summer's tournament in Qatar.
Greece will travel to Riga to face Ukraine on August 28 at 7:00 pm, before returning home to play Spain at the T-Center on August 31 at 7:00 pm.
The upcoming fixtures mark the opening matches of the second round group stage. Greece enters the phase with a 3-3 record in a group that includes Spain with a 5-1 record, Ukraine at 4-2, and Georgia at 3-3.
Montenegro and Portugal complete the group, carrying over as opponents from the first round. The top three teams in the final group standings will qualify directly for the World Cup.
Squad news and injury updates
Forward Nikos Rogkavopoulos was the only player missing from the initial call-up list. National team doctor Zak Melayes examined Rogkavopoulos and confirmed that he continues to suffer from plantar fasciitis, requiring further rehabilitation before returning to game condition.
The 16 players present at the opening session were Kostas Papanikolaou, Nick Calathes, Giannoulis Larentzakis, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Dinos Mitoglou, Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, Kostas Antetokounmpo, Vassilis Toliopoulos, Tyler Dorsey, Dimitris Moraitis, Vassilis Charalampopoulos, Nasos Bazinas, Omiros Netzipoglou, Dimitris Flionis, Antonis Karagiannidis, and Nikos Persidis.
Leadership and warm up fixtures
During the opening session, head coach Spanoulis welcomed the squad and highlighted the high stakes of the upcoming qualification games. Hellenic Basketball Federation president Vangelis Liolios also attended the practice session to wish the team success.
Daily practice sessions will continue leading up to two warm-up exhibition games at the T-Center. Greece will play Poland on August 22 and face Cyprus on August 24.
The Hellenic Basketball Federation oversees the national team program as it competes in European and international tournaments. Spanoulis, a former European basketball star, took charge of the national team to steer Greece toward qualifying for the 32-team global tournament hosted by Qatar in 2027.
