Croatia’s World Cup basketball dream alive after impressing against Germany

(Photo credit: fiba.basketball)

Croatia national basketball have been impressive in its latest European qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Croatia beat the current world and European champions Germany 93–88 on Friday night in Zagreb, before going down 91-89 in overtime last night in Bonn.

Dario Šarić, Mario Hezonja and Luka Božić were impressive for Croatia over the two games.

Croatia claimed the overall edge across the two matches thanks to a superior aggregate score.

While the aggregate margin is unlikely to prove decisive, it could become crucial if Croatia and Germany finish the group stage with identical records. In that scenario, Croatia would hold the head-to-head advantage and secure third place in the qualifying group, potentially enough to claim a ticket to the World Cup in Qatar alongside the top two teams.

(Photo credit: fiba.basketball)

Croatia safely into the second round

After the opening phase of Group E and Group F, several teams have already secured their places in the second round.

Poland national basketball team have been perfect in Group F with four wins from four matches, while both Croatia and Germany sit on 3–1 records in Group E. Israel national basketball team currently stand at 2–2.

Two more teams will advance from Group F, where the Netherlands national basketball team are currently 2–2, while the Austria national basketball team and Latvia national basketball team each have one win from four matches.

Results from this phase will carry over into the second round, meaning every victory could prove vital in the race for the World Cup.

(Photo credit: fiba.basketball)

Croatia’s qualification for the second stage already marks an improvement on their previous World Cup campaign. In the last qualifiers in 2022, Croatia were eliminated in the opening round after losing to Finland in Rijeka and were forced into pre-qualifiers for EuroBasket 2025.

This time, Croatia have also secured direct entry into the qualifiers for EuroBasket 2029, which begin in November 2027.

Key summer clashes ahead

Croatia’s home clash with Israel in July could prove pivotal in the race for a place at the World Cup. Croatia already defeated Israel in Riga, meaning a potential 2–0 record against the same opponent would significantly strengthen their qualification hopes.

Many projections suggest that seven wins across the campaign could be enough to reach the tournament, while eight victories would almost certainly guarantee a place.

If Croatia defeat both Israel and the Cyprus national basketball team in July, they would move to five wins. With two more games scheduled later in August, potentially with NBA players available, Croatia could then push towards the crucial seven-win mark.

(Photo credit: fiba.basketball)

One possible route to qualification would be an away victory over Cyprus combined with four home wins, including the key clash against Israel and three games in the second round.

Croatia have not appeared at the World Cup since 2014.