EuroBasket Preview: 24 Teams Embark on the Quest for the Title — Which NBA Star Will Triumph in the End?

26/08/2025 10:42:00 VictoryVox

The 2025 EuroBasket is set to start on August 27th Beijing time, comprising group and elimination phases. Twenty-four European teams are on the road to the championship, with star players such as Jokic, Giannis, Doncic, Sengun, and Markkanen adding excitement to this edition.

In the group stage, each group competes in a round-robin format, with the top four teams advancing to the knockout phase. The 16 qualifying teams will then face off in elimination matches. Let’s take a look at the situation in the four groups—

Group A

The teams in Group A include Serbia, Latvia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Estonia, and Portugal.

Serbia is undoubtedly the strongest team in this group. At the Olympics, Serbia nearly dominated the entire game against the USA; over the past 11 years, they have earned five medals in major international competitions. Now, this team is more eager than ever to complete the "Golden Generation" puzzle by winning the EuroBasket title.

With core players Jokic and Bogdanovic, Serbia's ceiling is nearly unbeatable. However, after their surprising exit in the round of 16 at EuroBasket 2022, Serbia will approach this tournament with greater caution.

Latvia was one of the biggest surprises and dark horses at the 2023 FIBA World Cup; even though they secured qualification as hosts, they finished the 2025 EuroBasket qualifiers with a perfect 6-0 record.

From 1993 to 2011, the Czech Republic qualified for EuroBasket main stages only twice; 2013 marked a turning point, and since then they have become regular participants, achieving their best-ever 7th place finish in 2015.

Turkey will begin their 15th consecutive EuroBasket campaign. Throughout this long qualification history, they won silver in 2001 and reached the top eight three times. However, their last quarterfinal appearance was in 2009, fueling their motivation in 2025 to rejoin the "title contender" ranks. The 23-year-old Sengun, capable of effortlessly posting "20 points + 10 rebounds + 5 assists," is the key hope for Turkey.

The weakest teams in this group are undoubtedly Estonia and Portugal; without extraordinary performances, it will be difficult for them to advance.

Group B

Group B consists of Germany, Lithuania, Montenegro, Finland, Great Britain, and Sweden.

As defending world champions, Germany aims to add the EuroBasket crown to their achievements after finishing third in 2022. Led by NBA stars Schröder and Wagner Jr., Germany boasts a strong roster in all aspects and will be tough to stop.

Since 2015, Lithuania has not won a medal but hopes to change that this summer. Despite missing key player Sabonis Jr., they still have an impressive lineup led by Nuggets newcomer Valančiūnas, who averaged a double-double in the last two tournaments.

Montenegro, led by Bulls veteran Vucevic, will make his fourth EuroBasket appearance. Known for their toughness and fighting spirit, Montenegro aims to surpass their previous exits in the round of 16.

After a respectable 7th place finish in 2022, Finland hopes to improve further. As hosts of Group B, Finland is led by Jazz star Markkanen, who averaged an incredible 27.9 points in the last EuroBasket and now aims for a medal.

The relatively weaker teams in this group are Great Britain and Sweden, who are expected to struggle to advance.

Group C

Group C includes Spain, Greece, Italy, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Cyprus.

Spain’s coach Scariolo continued his magic in 2022, leading a young and inexperienced squad to yet another championship — their fourth in 13 years. Spain has reached the podium in the last seven EuroBaskets, with the last time missing the quarterfinals dating back to 1977. This will be Scariolo’s farewell tournament, and his team is even younger than in 2022, with Aldama as the leading star.

Since placing third in 2009, Greece has not won a quarterfinal game. This summer, Spanoulis will serve as head coach for the first time in EuroBasket; the 2005 champion member will be greatly supported by the presence of Giannis.

Italy reached the EuroBasket quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive time in 2022 but has yet to win at that stage; three years ago, they lost in overtime to France. Their last podium finish was in 2003.

Georgia will appear at the European stage for the sixth consecutive time. This Eastern European team advanced past the first round twice, in 2011 and 2015.

Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated group champion Slovenia in the first round of 2022 but failed to secure the crucial wins needed afterward. Bosnia hopes to advance beyond the first stage for the first time since their 1993 debut, with Nurkic as their main star.

The weakest team in this group is Cyprus, which is expected to struggle to move beyond the group stage.

Group D

Group D includes France, Slovenia, Poland, Israel, Belgium, and Iceland.

It has been over a decade since France won their first and only EuroBasket title, but they now possess one of the deepest talent pools in Europe. Although missing stars like Gobert and Wembanyama, some players have the chance to emerge as new leaders for the national team.

Slovenia’s success largely depends on superstar Luka Doncic’s performance, although they also have a reliable supporting cast.

Poland finished fourth in the last EuroBasket. Ponitka is motivated, and alongside Lloyd, they aim to impress again on home soil.

Israel’s Avdija made a strong impression in his 2022 debut and is now the team’s top star. Can they advance further?

Belgium was the only team to defeat eventual champion Spain at EuroBasket 2022. Although their journey ended in the round of 16, it was a positive sign.

Iceland might be the weakest team in this group, but in big tournaments, everyone loves an underdog story.

Twenty-four teams begin their title chase — which NBA star will be the last one standing?