Ainars Bagatskis learned his team's fate Tuesday as the draw for the 2027 Basketball World Cup qualifiers took place in Doha. The Ukrainian national team must navigate a challenging pre-qualification path after their disappointing Eurobasket 2025 campaign.
"We understand our position and the challenges ahead. This is basketball – you have to earn your place," the Latvian specialist might say about the situation facing his squad.
Ukraine will battle Slovakia and Switzerland in the pre-qualification group starting this August. Their performance in this initial stage will determine their qualification path moving forward.
The stakes are clear. Should Ukraine top their pre-qualification group, they'll advance to Group A of the main qualifiers where basketball powerhouse Spain awaits, alongside Georgia and one of the pre-qualification winners (either Croatia, Denmark, or Norway).
Interestingly, a second-place finish in pre-qualification would send Ukraine to Group C, featuring Serbia, Turkey, and Bosnia – arguably an equally challenging proposition.
The path to Qatar 2027 won't be easy for Bagatskis and his players. After missing out on Eurobasket 2025, can they regroup and secure their place in the World Cup? Basketball fans will start getting answers when the main qualification tournament kicks off in November.
By the way, this will be the first time Qatar hosts the Basketball World Cup, with the tournament scheduled for 2027.
