The Latvian women's national team continues its fight for a ticket to the European Championship finals.
The Latvian women’s national team is ranked 37th in the FIBA rankings (18th in Europe). Since 2005, the Latvian women’s team has competed in the European Championship finals nine times and reached the quarter-finals on five occasions (best results: 4th place in 2007, 6th place in 2005 and 2017).
After the second round of the tournament, the top two teams from each group, as well as three of the seven third-placed teams, will qualify for the second round.
Last year, the Italian women’s basketball team won bronze medals at the European Championships after a 30-year hiatus and have just finished 9th in the World Cup. In Group K of the European Championship qualifiers, the Italian side are considered favourites. However, the Latvian national team has worked hard over the summer to defy the odds.
The head-to-head record between the Latvian and Italian women’s national teams stands at 6–6. In the European Championship finals, the Latvians have the upper hand (2–1); in the qualifying tournaments, the record is even (3–3); but in friendly matches, the Italians have fared better (1–2). In their most recent encounter, in the semi-final for 5th–8th place at the 2017 European Championship in Prague, the Latvians won 68–67 and secured a place at the World Cup.
In the match against the Italian team, ranked 14th in the world, the Latvian national team will not be the favourites; however, as has happened on more than one occasion, on home turf with the support of the "sixth player" (the Latvian national team’s fans), the Latvians become almost unbeatable.
Admission is free for children aged 6 and under (inclusive) (without a separate seat).