Who is hosting?

Following on from the last three editions, four nations will joint host the 2025 European championship of basketball. EuroBasket, as it is commonly known, is to be played in Cyprus, Poland, Finland and Latvia this year.

Cyprus hosts for the first time, as the sport looks to capitalize on the increased number of Europeans playing in the world's most watched league, the National Basketball Association. Ukraine were set to be one of the four hosts before Poland stepped in. In January 2022, the word from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office was that hosting the tournament was one of his top priorities. A month later, Russia invaded.

All four nations host the group stage, with the top four teams from each of the four groups of six progressing to the knockouts. That stage will be held entirely in Riga, Latvia. The tournament starts on August 27 and runs until the final on September 14.

Does it matter in the context of basketball?

Politically, there will also be eyes on Israel's participation at the tournament given the Israeli army's prolonged military offensive in Gaza. Last year, Ireland's women basketball team refused to shake hands with Israel's women.

The tournament itself has been running in some shape or another for 90 years, so it has long been a part of basketball's wider landscape. There's also a long list of great upsets that this competition has provided, including Italy beating Serbia in the last edition and Germany's Cinderella run to the title in 1993.

Viewing figures from the 2022 edition suggest this competition is an increasingly popular one for basketball fans on the continent. Spain's final victory over France three years ago was watched by 3.75 million people in Spain, with all of the decisive games shown on free-to-air channels in the all four countries of the semifinalists. Around 4 million watched Germany's semifinal against Spain.

While these numbers cannot be compared with those of the NBA playoffs — last season's playoffs averaged just over 6 million viewers per game — they are nevertheless a sign basketball's growth in Europe has not stagnated.

On the court, with all 24 teams at this year's EuroBasket already qualified for the World Cup in 2027 — the competition which will determine some of the teams playing in Los Angeles at the Summer Olympics in 2028 — this is about national pride. It's also about pushing basketball to new shores — see Cyprus hosting for the first time — and reminding anyone on the other side of the Atlantic how strong the continent is at basketball.

Are any NBA stars playing at EuroBasket?

Nikola Jokic, three-time MVP winner and Serbia's superstar, is front and center at this tournament. The man many consider the best player in the world is on a mission to deliver a title that has evaded him. At the last EuroBasket, not even a strong display by Jokic could stop Serbia being upset by Italy in the round of 16.

Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Slovenia's Luka Doncic will also be on the floor, aiming to bring glory to their countries. Germany's hopes rest on the shoulders of Dennis Schröder and Franz Wagner.

Notable absentees include France's Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Lithuania's Domantas Sabonis as well as Germany's Moritz Wagner, Isaiah Hartenstein and Maxi Kleber.

Is European basketball different from the NBA?

Yes. FIBA, the international basketball federation, has rules for its tournaments that are different to those in the NBA.

There are a few technical differences, but the most important ones to remember are that EuroBasket games are shorter — there are four 10-minute quarters (the NBA has four 12-minute quarters), and the three-point line is slightly closer in EuroBasket than in the NBA. 

There are also different rules in terms of fouls and timeouts. All of this makes the margins even smaller, and increases the importance of each possession and means that sometimes the pace of FIBA games is faster.

Who are the favorites to win EuroBasket?

Serbia are the highest seed going in, and are the heavy favorites. They won bronze at the Olympics in Paris, and they have 10 players who know the NBA. With Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic driving the team, their expectation is clearly to win gold.

France are weakened by the absence of star-man Wembanyama, who is opting out to continue his recovery head of the NBA season, but with a host of young stars they are keen to show just how deep the quality of French basketball goes.

Spain are the defending champions, but their golden generation is no more. The Hernangomez brothers will be key, but they may struggle to keep their remarkable run of medaling in every EuroBasket since 2007 going.

Turkey are perhaps the ones to watch, with Alperen Sengun of the Houston Rockets leading their charge. And then there's Germany.

Do Germany genuinely have a chance?

The team who spectacularly won the World Championship in 2023 are a bit older and somewhat changed, notably at head coach where former Spain player Alex Mumbru has taken over from Gordon Herbert (now coaching at Bayern Munich). Wagner and Schröder are expected to lead the way, but the likes of Tristan da Silva, Daniel Theis and Isaac Bonga are also likely to play key roles. Germany have become a real force in international basketball in recent years and they will expect to be in the final four again.

With average attendance in the basketball Bundesliga at an all-time high last season, Germany's women winning gold in the 3x3 basketball in Paris and increased fan support following the joint hosting of EuroBasket 2022, German basketball is enjoying a rich spell of success. In short, they absolutely have a chance at the title.

Edited by: Chuck Penfold