The Latvian men's national basketball team is fighting for the chance to participate in the World Cup finals for the second time in a row.
The game against the Netherlands will be more than just a battle for valuable points in the standings. It will be:
- the debut of new head coach Sito Alonso at the helm of the national team;
- a reunion with Latvian basketball stars and an opportunity to evaluate some new talent;
- a chance to enjoy the excitement of top-level official basketball games and sing the national anthem together.
The Latvian national team is ranked 11th in the FIBA rankings (6th in Europe). The Dutch national team is ranked 54th (28th) in the FIBA rankings. In August, during the preliminary qualifying tournament, the team had three NBA club players, but in November, the leaders will most likely be representatives of the Spanish ACB league.
This will be the fourth meeting between the Latvian and Dutch men's national teams in official FIBA tournaments. In 1999, the Latvian team won 92:74 in a EuroBasket pre-qualification game in Kristiansand, and in 2012, the Latvians won 86:81 in Almeria and 85:70 in Riga in the qualifying tournament.
Latvia - Netherlands. FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027. Qualification