The coaching staff of the Ukrainian men's national basketball team has officially announced the extended roster for the first matches of the second group stage of the 2027 World Cup qualification. At the end of August, Ukrainian basketball players will face the national teams of Greece and Montenegro.

The official statement was published on the website of the Basketball Federation of Ukraine (BFU). 16 players representing various levels of the basketball hierarchy have been called up to the national team camp: from NBA stars and leading European clubs to NCAA college league players.

Preparation program and sparring matches

Preparation for the decisive matches will begin on August 14 in Latvia. The Ukrainian national team will hold a training camp, which includes two friendly matches to check game fitness:

  • August 20: Sparring match against the University of Arizona team (USA) in Kėdainiai.
  • August 23: Match against the Latvian national team in Riga.

Health status of leaders

Head coach of the Ukrainian national team Ainars Bagatskis commented on the current situation with the squad. According to him, key players of the team have confirmed their readiness to perform.

In particular, Maksym Shulha confirmed his participation in the qualifiers. Also, Rostyslav Novytskyi joined the team, having successfully recovered from a serious injury.

Contradictory data

The question of the participation of one of the team leaders — Alexey Lendy — remains open. The situation surrounding his participation causes discrepancies in interpretations, which requires careful consideration.

On the one hand, Alexey Lendy is officially included in the extended roster of the national team announced by the BFU. On the other hand, head coach Ainars Bagatskis in an interview with the media (in particular, the Sportarena portal) noted that Lendy is still undergoing rehabilitation after a leg injury received in May. The coach clarified that the player is striving to play, but is not training in full contact.

The final decision on including Lendy in the main roster for official matches will be made immediately before the start of the camp, depending on the dynamics of recovery.

Who will definitely miss the qualifiers

Despite the roster reinforcement, a number of players will definitely not be able to help the national team in the upcoming games due to injuries and recovery. The list of absentees includes:

  • Issouf Sanon
  • Bogdan Blyzniuk
  • Alexander Lipovoy

Schedule of official matches

The Ukrainian national team will start in the new round of qualification, occupying second place in Group I with a current win-loss balance of 4-2. The top three teams in the group will receive tickets to the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.

Key dates of the qualifying tournament:

  • August 28: Match against the Greek national team in Riga (nominally a home match for Ukraine).
  • August 31: Away match against the Montenegrin national team.

Previously, it was reported that the Greek national team also determined its preparation program for the World Cup qualifiers.