İSTANBUL
Türkiye retained the top spot in FIBA’s latest Smart Power Rankings for the 2027 Basketball World Cup European Qualifiers after becoming the first European team to secure a qualifying spot for next year’s tournament in Qatar.
FIBA published the eighth edition of its rankings following the opening two games of the Second Round, with Türkiye maintaining its No. 1 position with a perfect 8-0 record.
Türkiye secured its place at the World Cup with four games still remaining in the European qualifying campaign.
The team strengthened its position further during the latest window, defeating Lithuania 94-66 and Iceland 110-73.
The results were achieved without NBA star Alperen Sengun, underlining the depth of the squad, according to FIBA.
Türkiye’s best finish at a World Cup came in 2010, when the national team reached the final on home soil and claimed silver.
France held second place with a 7-1 record, while reigning world champions Germany climbed two spots to third after also moving to 7-1.
Germany’s rise followed a notable victory against Poland, handing the Poles their first defeat of the qualifiers. Serbia, despite winning both of its games during the latest window, dropped one spot to fourth with a 6-2 record.
Croatia moved up one to fifth at 7-1 after a productive window that included a 101-99 victory against the Netherlands. FIBA highlighted Croatia’s offense, noting that the team became the first side in World Cup qualifying history, across all regions, to score at least 100 points in four consecutive games.
Poland fell two places to sixth after its first loss of the campaign, while Ukraine was one of the biggest movers, moving up three places to seventh, following two victories and improving to 6-2.
Spain dropped to eighth after losing both games in the latest window and now sit at 5-3. Italy and Finland followed at ninth and 10th, respectively, both holding 5-3 records.
Georgia made the biggest jump in the top 20, climbing five places to 11th. The Georgians went 2-0 in the latest window and moved to 5-3, with FIBA praising their balanced team play.
Greece were 12th, followed by Lithuania, Portugal and Slovenia. Slovenia climbed five places after defeating Hungary and cutting a deficit of more than 30 points to single digits during a defeat in France.
The next window of European qualifiers will take place in November, followed by the final window in February and March 2027.
The European Second Round features 24 teams divided into four groups, with the top three teams from each group earning tickets to the World Cup in Qatar.
FIBA stressed that the Smart Power Rankings are entirely subjective and do not constitute an official ranking system.
The 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup will be held in Qatar from Aug. 27 to Sept. 12, 2027.
