---
title: "Ukraine Kicks Off the Second Stage of 2027 World Cup Qualifiers: Match Against Greece in Riga Without Turtshnyk and Kovalyov"
description: "The Ukrainian national basketball team will play its first match of the second stage of 2027 World Cup qualification against Greece in Riga on August 28. Turtshnyk and Kovalyov are not on the roster, with Mykhailiuk remaining the leader."
date: 2026-08-28T08:10:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-basketball-greece-2027-world-cup-qualifiers
tags: [ukraine-basketball, world-cup-2027-qualifiers, greece, ainars-bagatskis, sviatoslav-mykhailiuk, fbu]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Ukraine Kicks Off the Second Stage of 2027 World Cup Qualifiers: Match Against Greece in Riga Without Turtshnyk and Kovalyov

![Ukraine national basketball team player in yellow jersey with number 34 on the court](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/28/ukraina-baschetbol-gretsiya-otbor-chm-2027/ukraina-baschetbol-gretsiya-otbor-chm-2027-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- On August 28 in Riga, the Ukrainian national team will play its first match of the second stage of 2027 World Cup qualification against Greece
- Ilya Turtshnyk and Artem Kovalyov, who played in the first stage of qualification, were not included in the match roster
- In the friendly matches, Ukraine lost to the University of Arizona (85:107) and beat Latvia (84:82), with Mykhailiuk scoring 25 points
- Bagatskis noted the similarity between the playing styles of Latvia and Greece and urged the team to minimize turnovers

On the evening of August 28, the Ukrainian national basketball team will play its first match in the second stage of the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualification tournament. The national team's opponent will be Greece, and the game will take place at the Xiaomi Arena in Riga. Tip-off is scheduled for 19:00 Kyiv time. A live broadcast of the match for Ukrainian viewers will be provided by the TV channels "Obshchestvenne Sport" and "Kyivstar TV".

### Roster: Who Is in the Squad and Who Will Be Missing

On the eve of the match, the team's roster for the game against the Greeks was published on the official resources of the Ukrainian Basketball Federation. Two players who had been a consistent part of the national team during the first stage of qualification are not on the list — Ilya Turtshnyk and Artem Kovalyov. Thus, head coach Ainars Bagatskis has lost two important performers ahead of the start of the new stretch of the qualifiers. The roster does, however, feature the team's key figures: national team leader Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, as well as Oleksandr Kovaliur, Denys Lukashov, Yehor Sushkin, and Vyacheslav Bobrov.### Preparation: Two Friendly Matches Before Greece

Before the start of the second stage of qualification, the Ukrainian team played two friendly games. On August 20, their opponent was the University of Arizona, and in that match the Ukrainians lost 85:107. Just three days later, on August 23, the Ukrainian national team defeated the Latvian national team — 84:82. In that game, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk stood out, scoring 25 points and becoming one of the main heroes of the match.

### Coach's Comment: Why Latvia Is the Ideal Sparring Partner

Ainars Bagatskis emphasized that the game against the Latvians was extremely useful in preparing for the showdown with the Greeks. "I'm glad we had a match against Latvia, because they play in a style similar to the Greeks'. We need to pay attention to turnovers — there should be as few of them as possible — and we also need to control our emotions," the national team coach stated. These remarks indicate that the coaching staff views the Greeks as a team with a tactical model similar to that of the Latvians — with an emphasis on team play, discipline, and tempo control.

### Additional Context: Transfer News

Apart from the preparation for the match against Greece, another story is being discussed in Ukrainian basketball circles: it was previously reported that the Ukrainian national team's center has signed a contract with a new club in Romania. The details of the transfer are not disclosed in the provided materials, however, the move of one of the national team's players to a foreign league could affect his availability for subsequent qualifying matches.

### What Comes Next in the Qualifiers

The match against Greece opens the second stage of the 2027 World Cup qualification for Ukraine. The result of this game, as well as the subsequent matches in the group, will determine the team's chances of advancing to the next stage of the qualifiers. For fans, the key question remains: will the national team be able to compensate for the absence of Turtshnyk and Kovalyov through the experience of Mykhailiuk, Kovaliur, and Lukashov and through cohesive team play, which Bagatskis intends to refine to perfection throughout the entire qualifying cycle.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Ukrainian national team announces roster for the match against Greece](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/basketball/zbirna-ukrayini-ogolosila-zayavku-match-proti-1787904479.html) - Источник содержит всю ключевую информацию: состав заявки, результаты контрольных матчей (85:107 vs Arizona, 84:82 vs Latvia), цитату Багатскиса, информацию об арене и трансляции. Внутренних противоречий не обнаружено. Небольшая опечатка в тексте источника ('Багасткис' вместо 'Багатскис') исправлена в статье.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Who was left out of Ukraine's roster for the match against Greece?
**A:** Ilya Turtshnyk and Artem Kovalyov, who had been a consistent part of the national team during the first stage of qualification, were not included in the roster for the second stage of the qualifiers.

### Q: Where and when will the Ukraine — Greece match take place?
**A:** The game will be held on August 28 at the Xiaomi Arena in Riga. Tip-off is at 19:00 Kyiv time. The broadcast will be shown on "Obshchestvenne Sport" and "Kyivstar TV".

### Q: What friendly matches did Ukraine play before the qualifiers?
**A:** On August 20, the national team lost to the University of Arizona 85:107, and on August 23 it beat Latvia — 84:82. In the match against the Latvians, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk scored 25 points.

### Q: Why does Bagatskis consider the match against Latvia useful in preparing for Greece?
**A:** The coach noted that the Latvian and Greek national teams play in a similar style. He urged the team to minimize turnovers and to control its emotions in the match against the Greeks.