World and European champions Germany stumbled in qualifying for the 2027 Basketball World Cup and suffered their first defeat.
National coach Àlex Mumbrú’s team lost to the still unbeaten hosts Croatia 88:93 (50:46) in Zagreb on Friday evening, and they failed to reach the top of the table in Group E of four. The German Basketball Federation (DBB) team had previously clearly won their games against Israel and Cyprus.
The second leg will take place in Bonn on Sunday (6 p.m./MagentaSport). Then the German team has the chance to win the direct comparison with a victory of the same amount and still take first place. The first three teams in the group reach the second qualifying phase and the results are carried forward. A new group will be formed with the three best teams from season F (Latvia, Poland, Austria, Netherlands). The best three reach the finals in Qatar.
His team would probably have to “suffer in Zagreb,” Mumbrú said before the first duel with the strongest group opponent on paper. Also because the Spaniard was again lacking a lot of staff. In addition to the NBA professionals around national team captain Dennis Schröder, who are almost always unavailable, other top players such as Andreas Obst, Johannes Voigtmann, Maodo Lo, Daniel Theis and Isaac Bonga are not there in the current international match window for reasons of load management.
Ex-NBA professionals annoy the basketball world champion
Both teams started nervously and lost a lot of the ball. However, Spanish legionnaire David Krämer from Real Madrid, who had not played in the EuroLeague duel with FC Bayern the evening before, was quickly up to speed offensively. The world champion hit well from the three-point line and had ten points after the first quarter.
Croatia held out against it, especially the former NBA professionals Dario Saric and Mario Hezonja, who were Krämer’s club colleagues in Madrid and on the field against Munich, were almost unstoppable. The spectators at the Drazen Petrovic Basketball Center saw an open and competitive game.
In the first international match of the year, the German team, which Johannes Thiemann led as captain in Schröder’s absence, had a difficult time with the opponent. But even a small run by the Croatians to make it 81:74 (32nd minute) didn’t unsettle the guests.
The DBB team was able to shorten the score again, but could no longer snatch the victory away from the Croatians – also because Krämer made an expensive turnover in the final minute. The best thrower in the DBB team was Krämer with 22 points, while Saric was the Croatian top scorer with 23 points.
Croatia (6 points) leads the table ahead of Germany (5), Israel (4) and Cyprus (3). After the quick reunion on Sunday, things will only continue in the summer with the final games of the first qualifying round in Israel (July 3rd) and in Bamberg against Cyprus (July 6th). The crucial second qualifying phase begins at the end of August. If, as expected, the DBB team wins its World Cup ticket, it will be in Qatar from August 27th to September 12th, 2027 to successfully defend its title.
