Six games were played on Sunday as three groups wrapped up action in the final round of the first stage of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
The schedule featured matchups in Groups A, B, and D, with several major storylines shaping the day. Iceland defeated Great Britain in a decisive game to advance to the next round, Portugal stunned Greece with a dominant defensive display, while Tornike Shengelia inspired Georgia to hand Spain its first defeat of the qualifying campaign. In the game of the day, Italy defeated Lithuania in front of their home crowd in Bologna.
UPSET OF THE DAY: Portugal stuns Greece with dominant defensive performance
The biggest surprise of the day came in Athens, where Portugal produced an outstanding defensive display to defeat Greece 71-56.
Just three days after suffering a shocking loss to Romania, Greece delivered another disappointing offensive performance, with virtually none of its key players able to make an impact.
Portugal completely shut down everything Vassilis Spanoulis‘ team tried to create. The second quarter perfectly summed up the game, with the visitors winning the period 9-8. The script remained the same after halftime. Portugal never needed a spectacular offensive showing, as Greece struggled throughout the game and never seriously threatened to mount a comeback.
Diogo Brito led Portugal with 17 points, while Elijah Mitrou-Long was Greece’s top scorer with 11 points.
This defeat particularly angered coach Spanoulis, as Greece went from a comfortable 3-1 record to 3-3 and now face a huge battle in the next phase to qualify for the FIBA World Cup. With this loss, they now hold the head-to-head disadvantage against Portugal, have one fewer win than Montenegro, and now have gamesupcoming against Spain, Ukraine, and Georgia. Spanoulis made it clear that there will be no compromises in the upcoming windows and that every player must report to the national team.
"The players I believe are available, those are the ones I called. It is our mistake that we did not call all the players in this window.
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) July 5, 2026
From the next window, everyone will be here. And when I say everyone, everyone."
After suffering a second defeat in this FIBA window,… pic.twitter.com/DugpvFGtda
IMPORTANT WINS: Iceland beat Great Britain to reach the next round, Montenegro advance with victory over Romania
Iceland secured their place in the second round of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers after edging Great Britain 88-86 in a decisive win-and-advance showdown. The result eliminated Great Britain from the qualification race for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar.
The hosts controlled the game for most of the night in Manchester, even building a double-digit lead at several points. However, Iceland mounted a remarkable comeback in the closing minutes.
Jon Axel Gudmundsson sparked the rally, before Martin Hermannsson tied the game with a clutch three-pointer just one minute from the final buzzer. Great Britain then cracked under pressure, allowing Hermannsson to draw a foul on the next possession. He calmly knocked down both free throws to complete the comeback and seal Iceland’s place in the next qualifying round.
Gudmundsson led Iceland with 25 points, while Hermannsson added 20 points in the crucial victory.
Montenegro defeated Romania in a crucial FIBA World Cup Qualifiers matchup, sealing their place in the next phase of the competition with a 65-64 win.
The hosts entered the game knowing they could not afford a loss by more than seven points, while any other result would guarantee progression. To remove all doubt, Montenegro delivered when it mattered most and secured the victory and carried four wins into the next phase which could prove to be pivotal for a spot at the FIBA World Cup 2027.
Montenegro held a consistent lead of two to three possessions for most of the second half and seemed to be in the driver’s seat. Romania tried to fight back, but were unable to complete the comeback. Although the final score shows only a one-point margin in favor of Montenegro, it should be noted that Fatts Russell hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to cut the deficit from four to one.
For Montenegro, the key three-pointer was scored by Igor Drobnjak for 64-59 with two and a half minutes remaining, and Drobnjak was also the leading scorer for the winning side with 13 points. On the other end, Russell finished the game with 17 points.
MVP PERFORMANCE: Tornike Shengelia delivers masterpiece to stun Spain
Tornike Shengelia produced one of the performances of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, leading Georgia to a dramatic 91-89 overtime victory over Spain.
Georgia’s captain finished with 37 points and 10 rebounds, while Marcquise Reed added 32 points as the duo powered their team to a memorable comeback win.
Georgia spent most of the game trailing in Tbilisi, falling behind by more than 20 points at one stage. Even in the fourth quarter, Spain still held a comfortable double-digit advantage before Shengelia completely took over.
The Barcelona power forward did it all. He knocked down contested three-pointers, attacked the rim relentlessly, and scored through heavy defensive pressure to bring Georgia back into the game almost single-handedly. His spectacular display forced overtime, where Reed scored the game-winning basket with 20 seconds remaining to seal a famous victory for Aleksandar Dzikic’s team.
TORNIKE SHENGELIA (@TokoShengelia23) AND MARCQUISE REED LED GEORGIA TO AN INCREDIBLE COMEBACK!! 💥💥🇬🇪
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) July 5, 2026
🟡 Shengelia: 37 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
🟡 Reed: 32 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists
Both players logged over 40 minutes and led Georgia back from a disastrous first… pic.twitter.com/ikLbSrtPog
DERBY OF THE DAY: Italy complete stunning comeback to beat Lithuania
This Sunday was filled with many major upsets. The day began with Georgia’s shocking victory against Spain, followed by Portugal stunning the entire Greek basketball community, and it ended in the same fashion as Italy, a heavy underdog on paper, defeated Lithuania 87-84 in Bologna after big comeback.
Lithuania held a commanding 80-68 lead with four minutes remaining, but then Nico Mannion knocked down a three-pointer that sparked Italy’s comeback, before Gabriele Procida buried several huge shots down the stretch. At the other end, Kasparas Jakucionis committed a string of costly mistakes, including turnovers and offensive fouls, helping Italy erase the deficit. Mannion’s three-pointer for an 85-82 lead with 30 seconds left ultimately proved to be the game-winning shot.
Italy entered this window without head coach Luca Banchi, as well as several key players including Simone Fontecchio, Nicolo Melli, Alessandro Pajola, Saliou Niang, Momo Diouf, and Darius Thompson, yet still managed to pull off a monumental victory over Lithuania. The win gives Italy a two-win advantage in the standings, along with the head-to-head tiebreaker, and it would take nothing short of a miracle for Lithuania to finish above Italy by the end of the qualifiers for the FIBA World Cup 2027.
Mannion finished with a game-high 27 points, while Azuolas Tubelis led Lithuania with 25 points.
STANDINGS: Italy and Montenegro finish top of their qualifying groups
The standings in Group A were largely decided before the final round. Despite suffering their first defeat of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, Spain advanced to the second round as group winners with a 5-1 record. Ukraine finished second at 4-2, while Georgia claimed third place at 3-3, with all three teams progressing. Denmark were eliminated after finishing the first phase without a single victory. They closed their campaign with a heavy 99–69 defeat to Ukraine.
Group A now merges with Group B, where the final standings produced one of the biggest surprises of the qualifying campaign. Montenegro finished first with a 4-2 record, while Portugal (3-3) and Greece (3-3) also secured their places in the next round. Romania were eliminated after ending the first phase with a 2-4 record.
The newly formed second-round group consists of:
- Spain (5–1)
- Ukraine (4–2)
- Montenegro (4–2)
- Portugal (3–3)
- Georgia (3–3)
- Greece (3–3)
Looking at the current standings, Spain are in a commanding position ahead of everyone else, while Montenegro and Ukraine will enter the next phase of the qualifiers with one more win than Georgia, Greece, and Portugal. The biggest disappointment has been Spanoulis’ team, which looked like a lock to qualify for the World Cup alongside Spain, but will now have to battle hard to secure one of the top three spots that lead to Qatar.
As for Group D, the final standings after today’s action are now confirmed. Italy finished top of the group with a strong 5-1 record, while Lithuania and Iceland both advanced with 3-3 records. Great Britain were eliminated after managing just one win and five losses.
These three teams will now merge with Group C, where Turkey, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are still competing. Their final records will be confirmed on Monday, determining how they enter the next phase of the competition.
New merged group:
- Italy (5–1)
- Lithuania (3–3)
- Iceland (3–3)
- Turkey
- Serbia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
Italy’s victory over Lithuania gives them a 2-0 head-to-head tiebreaker and a two-win cushion, meaning the Azzurri have taken a huge step toward qualifying for the 2027 FIBA World Cup. Lithuania, meanwhile, will likely have to focus on overtaking Serbia in the standings, as Italy and Turkey already look out of reach.
