Serbia looks like the favorite as EuroBasket 2025 set to get underway

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Serbia looks like the favorite as EuroBasket 2025 set to get underway

2025-08-26 18:00 Last Updated At：18:11

Before starting their annual runs toward what they hope is an NBA championship, players like Serbia's Nikola Jokic, Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Slovenia's Luka Doncic have another trophy to chase this summer.

They'll be seeking the European title.

EuroBasket — a 24-team tournament pitting the best squads in Europe against one another — opens Wednesday. Spain is the defending champion, and more than two dozen players who currently are on NBA rosters are expected to take part in the event.

“I think you guys have gotten a taste of it a little bit with Olympics maybe and it’s kind of similar for us really how much pride there is in that tournament," said Sweden guard Pelle Larsson, who plays for the Miami Heat, when asked to explain how big a deal EuroBasket is on his home continent.

“Everyone comes to compete and is really proud to represent their country,” he said. “For a country like Sweden, that is our biggest competition and that’s the most prideful.”

Spain beat France in the final of the 2022 tournament, the most recent last time EuroBasket was held.

Nations were drawn into groups of six. Teams will play the other teams in their group once in the opening stage. The top four teams in each group will advance to the knockout phase in Riga, Latvia, from Sept. 6 through Sept. 14.

Group site: Riga, Latvia

Teams (FIBA world ranking): Serbia (2), Latvia (9), Czechia (19), Turkey (27), Estonia (43), Portugal (56)

Outlook: The good news for Latvia is that it’ll be at home for the entirety of the tournament, with the group stage and the knockout rounds all in Riga. The bad news for Latvia (and Czechia, Turkey, Estonia and Portugal) is that Serbia will be there as well. Serbia is the tournament favorite for good reason, with Denver’s Nikola Jokic set to lead a team that has been proven on the world stage for some time. Serbia went 7-0 in tune-up games leading into EuroBasket, winning them all by at least 10 points.

Predicted to advance: Serbia, Latvia, Czechia, Turkey

Group site: Tampere, Finland

Teams (FIBA world ranking): Germany (3), Lithuania (10), Montenegro (16), Finland (20), Great Britain (48), Sweden (49)

Outlook: This could be the most competitive group, with the reigning World Cup champion in Germany, a traditional power like Lithuania and a rising team like Finland — which played very well in exhibitions this summer and gets the edge of playing group games at home. Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner should be enough of a 1-2 punch to get Germany into the knockout round. After that, chaos seems possible.

Predicted to advance: Germany, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden

Group site: Limassol, Cyprus

Teams (FIBA world ranking): Spain (5), Greece (13), Italy (14), Georgia (24), Bosnia and Herzegovina (41), Cyprus (84)

Outlook: It is the group of champions, with five of the last eight EuroBasket winners (Spain three times, Greece once, Italy once in that span) all starting out in Cyprus. Count Spain out at one’s own peril; no, it has not been a good summer for the defending champions, but history has shown that coach Sergio Scariolo’s squad always finds a way to give itself a chance in the biggest moments. And it should be noted that Spain has reached the EuroBasket semifinals in each of the last 11 such tournaments. Host Cyprus is on this stage for the first time.

Predicted to advance: Spain, Greece, Italy, Georgia

Group site: Katowice, Poland

Teams (FIBA world ranking): France (4), Slovenia (11), Poland (17), Israel (39), Belgium (40), Iceland (50)

Outlook: There’s no Victor Wembanyama for France; he's still recovering from surgery to fix deep vein thrombosis that ended Year 2 of his tenure with the San Antonio Spurs back in February. But expect the Olympic silver medalists and EuroBasket finalists to still escape the group phase with ease. Same goes for Slovenia (which was 1-5 in its tune-up games, even with a slimmed-down Luka Doncic) and host Poland. That leaves Israel, Belgium and Iceland essentially battling for one spot in the round of 16.

Predicted to advance: France, Slovenia, Poland, Israel

AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports

Senegal coach appeals to Sadio Mané not to make this Africa Cup his last

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Senegal coach Pape Thiaw has appealed for star forward Sadio Mané to reconsider his decision to make this Africa Cup of Nations his last.

Mané, the two-time African Footballer of the Year, is playing in his sixth Africa Cup and fired Senegal into the final by scoring for a 1-0 win over Egypt in the semifinals. The 33-year-old Mané told journalists after that match that this will be his last Africa Cup.

Thiaw said Saturday that he hopes Mané will listen to the will of the Senegalese people.

“There’s a nation behind him. This nation would like to see him continue because he made this decision in the heat of the moment. And the country doesn’t agree,” Thiaw said a day before Senegal faces host nation Morocco for the decider. “And I, as the coach, don’t agree at all. We’d like to keep him as long as possible.”

Mané led Senegal to the 2021 Africa Cup title and has been leading the team at this edition with captain Kalidou Koulibaly suspended for one game earlier in the tournament and again for Sunday’s final.

Mané’s goal against Egypt was his 11th altogether in the Africa Cup. He has also set up nine more.

“He’s a legend. Everywhere. For Africa. He represents Africa, he represents the world. He’s an example! We need people like him in this life. He teaches life lessons, his resilience, his education, and how he gives his all for Senegal,” Thiaw said. “He gave his life so we could win this tournament (in 2021), so we could get our first star.”

Thiaw said he doesn’t want to see Mané leave, “and his teammates don’t either.”

Defender Moussa Niakhaté said he didn’t have enough time to explain what Mané represents for Senegalese and African soccer.

“What defines Sadio is hard work, love for his country. And as he declared after the match against Egypt, this will be his last Africa Cup game, his sixth Africa Cup, so it shows his longevity and consistency,” Niakhaté said before Senegal goes for its second title. “We owe it to him to bring him back that second star.”

Mané still has the World Cup to come before he quits the national team. The Teranga Lions have been drawn in a group with France, Norway and then a playoff winner between Bolivia, Suriname and Iraq.

AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations