Carmelo Anthony helped determine the fate of basketball nations worldwide on Tuesday evening, conducting the draw ceremony for the 2027 Basketball World Cup qualifiers in Doha, Qatar. The NBA legend's presence added star power to an event that mapped out Ukraine's potentially favorable path to their second-ever World Cup appearance — if they can navigate the preliminary hurdles.
Ukraine faces an immediate challenge before even reaching the main qualification tournament. Coach Ainars Bagatskis and his squad must first survive pre-qualification against Slovakia and Switzerland, with a top-two finish required to advance.
"Our first task is crystal clear — win the pre-qualification group," a Ukrainian basketball federation source might say about the situation. "Anything less would be catastrophic for Ukrainian basketball's trajectory."
The draw revealed a stark contrast in potential paths. Should Ukraine win their preliminary group, they'll land in Group A alongside Spain, Georgia, and likely Denmark or Norway (whichever finishes second in pre-qualification group D). This represents a manageable challenge with realistic qualification hopes.
However, a second-place finish in pre-qualifiers would send Ukraine into a much tougher Group C with Turkey, Serbia, and Bosnia — a murderer's row of European basketball powers that would severely diminish their qualification chances.
Interestingly, Group A mirrors Ukraine's qualification path for the previous World Cup, where they competed against Spain and Georgia. In those encounters, Ukraine split their series with Georgia 1-1, exchanging convincing home victories. Against Spain, Ukraine could potentially capitalize on the ongoing conflict between FIBA and Euroleague, which often prevents the Spaniards from fielding their top players during qualifiers.
The qualification format then gets more complex. After the first round, the top three teams from Group A will merge with the best three from Group B (featuring Greece, Montenegro, Portugal, and a pre-qualification winner). From this combined six-team pool, only three nations will earn World Cup berths.
Coach Bagatskis faces the immediate task of rebuilding Ukraine's form following recent disappointments, including their failure to qualify for EuroBasket 2025. Their performance against Portugal in those qualifiers still stings — though the World Cup path now offers a chance for redemption against the same opponent.
Can Ukraine navigate this challenging but not impossible qualification path? Much depends on their ability to win the pre-qualification group first, but if successful, the draw has given them a realistic shot at reaching Qatar 2027.
