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MUNICH (Germany) – After a nine-month break, the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers are back, with teams vying to secure their spots in the Final Round or at least hoping to avoid any kind of qualification drama.

To preview the November action, we ranked the teams from 1 to 32 in Volume 3 of the Smart Power Rankings, taking into consideration their rosters, competition system, opponent strength, and of course their previous rank in Volume 2 of the Power Rankings.

Here is how the Power Rankings look ahead of the November 2024 window.

#1 France (+1)

Record: 2-0
Schedule: @ Cyprus on Thursday; vs Cyprus on Sunday

The summer was incredible, with both the men’s and the women’s teams reaching the Finals of the Olympics, and now it’s time for something new with Frederic Fauthoux succeeding Vincent Collet at the helm of the national team. Something new also applies to the roster for this window, with the 2006-born wunderkinds ready for their debuts.

Tune in to see what all the fuss is about with Nolan Traore and Noa Essengue. Noa will only turn 18 in December, by the way…

#2 Serbia (-1)

Record: 2-0
Schedule: @ Denmark on Thursday, vs Denmark on Sunday

Solid start to the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers, solid summer with the national team reaching the podium at the Olympics, solid schedule coming up for them in a doubleheader with Denmark in November… Everything is solid with Serbia, the only reason why they dropped a place is because of the French youth taking over. Good to see Borisa Simanic making a comeback to the national team for the first time since the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

#3 Greece (+1)

Record: 2-0
Schedule: @ Great Britain on Thursday, vs Great Britain on Sunday

Another team with a lot of optimism and belief built over the summer with coach Vassilis Spanoulis. They had a perfect FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament at home in Piraeus, then reached the Quarter-Finals of the Olympics, and even though you might say, “Yeah, but that’s mostly because of Giannis Antetokounmpo,” the rest of the team was impressive all summer long. Especially Vasileios Toliopoulos. He just had back-to-back games with 30+ points for Aris in the Greek League and the EuroCup.

#4 Latvia (-1)

Record: 2-0
Schedule: vs Belgium on Friday, @ Belgium on Monday

They know they are already qualified as one of the hosts, but still, a pair of wins over Belgium and they could be two wins clear of everybody else at the top of the group with two games to play. Remember, they were 23-3 since Luca Banchi took over three and a half years ago. They did drop a couple of games in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament they hosted, so their recent record is “only” 25-5.

#5 Germany (+4)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: @ Sweden on Friday, vs Sweden on Monday

Another team with a coaching change over the summer. Alex Mumbru took over, and he’s not the only one bringing some Spanish flavor to the team, with Unicaja’s big guy Dylan Osetkowski set to make his debut, and La Laguna Tenerife’s shooter David Kramer making a comeback.

Andreas Obst is on the team, the lone Bayern Munich warrior on the roster, while Jonas Mattisseck and Louis Olinde received the calls at ALBA Berlin. Johannes Thiemann will fly in from Japan, and Tibor Pleiss is back on the list after his move to Trapani Sharks in Italy over the summer. Comebacks and newcomers, good mix for coach Mumbru.

#6 Italy (-1)

Record: 2-0
Schedule: @ Iceland on Friday, vs Iceland on Monday

The disappointment of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico is behind them, hopefully. Coach Gianmarco Pozzecco is excited to get the team back to winning ways, especially as they have a doubleheader against Iceland to potentially clinch qualification with a pair of wins.

One thing, though. The last time they visited Iceland, Tryggvi Hlinason had That Game. Just saying…

#7 Slovenia (-1)

Record: 2-0
Schedule: @ Portugal on Friday, vs Portugal on Monday

It should be smooth sailing for coach Aleksander Sekulic and Slovenia, with a perfect record so far, and a pair of games against Portugal. The roster features some well known names, such as Jaka Blazic, Zoran Dragic, Edo Muric and Klemen Prepelic, while Ziga Dimec gets the frequent flyer award, as he has to cross more than 11,000 kilometers to get from Tainan City – that’s where he plays nowadays, with the TSG Ghosthawks – to Almada, Portugal.

Just another reminder how much it means to these Junaki to be a part of the national team.

#8 Belgium (-1)

Record: 2-0
Schedule: @ Latvia on Friday, vs Latvia on Monday

All the others are going to steal the headlines, all the others are gonna get the highlight plays and clicks, and this time next year you could be talking about the best Belgian team of all time. At least that’s their masterplan. Belgium called up a total of 12 players younger than 23 years of age, developing the prospects and hoping they could grab a win or two over Latvia to secure their spot at the Final Round already in November.

Two wins – they are through no matter what. One win – they need Spain or Slovakia to go 2-0 in the other doubleheader of Group C.

#9 Lithuania (-1)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: @ North Macedonia on Thursday, vs North Macedonia on Sunday

Are we allowed to talk about the North Macedonia matchup from 2011? No? Okay. Rimas Kurtinaitis is going to use the core of the Lithuanian champions to help him build a new look national team, as he called up five players from Rytas Vilnius for these two games. The eternal Mindaugas Kuzminskas will be flying in from Athens, while Lukas Lekavicius gets a chance to regain confidence after a slower start to his season with Zalgiris.

Keep an eye on Martynas Echodas, his numbers are off the charts since arriving in Türkiye – he just had a 35-point, 10-rebound double-double for Manisa Basket against Fenerbahce eight days ago.

#10 Estonia (0)

Record: 2-0
Schedule: @ Poland on Thursday, vs Poland on Sunday

Tell you what, if Estonia stay perfect after a pair of games against Poland, we’re moving them to Top 5 here. Early candidate for the Best Team Nobody Talks About of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers award*, that’s how impressive they were in the first window.

(*There is no such award)

#11 Spain (0)

Record: 0-2
Schedule: @ Slovakia on Friday, vs Slovakia on Monday

Good news? The summer was good, they made it back to the Olympics, they have that continuity of playing a role at major events. Better news? Izan Almansa is set to make his national team debut after arguably one of the most impressive careers in FIBA Youth Events history.

It’s also the first real chance for the Spanish fans to see him perform, as the 19-year-old left his homeland at 16 to search for his way towards professional basketball through the Overtime Elite program and the NBA G League in the United States, and is now playing with the Perth Wildcats in Australia.

#12 Türkiye (+2)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: vs Hungary on Friday, @ Hungary on Monday

The roster is looking impressive, and they have the advantage of seeing Hungary at home first, which could be a big factor to build confidence ahead of the road trip to Szombathely. Even though their 1-1 record isn’t really intimidating anybody, the math is quite basic for coach Ergin Ataman: Defeat Hungary twice, get a ticket to the FIBA EuroBasket 2025.

#13 Czechia (-1)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: vs Netherlands on Thursday, @ Netherlands on Sunday

They lose a place because of the first sentence in the Turkish part of the Power Rankings. However, Czechia have the exact same math in front of them – sweep the Netherlands, and you’re through. One trivial thing, going over their initial roster announcement. Czechia could field a lineup of only Ondrejs in a game, as they called up Ondrej Sehnal, Ondrej Svec, Ondrej Hustak, Ondrej Hanzlik and Ondrej Balvin.

That’s the basketball expertise needed to write the Power Rankings.

#14 Montenegro (+1)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: vs Bulgaria on Friday, @ Bulgaria on Monday

Same logic as with the Turkish schedule, they have a tough matchup coming up, so it’s probably better to have the first game at home, especially with Bojan Dubljevic, Nikola Ivanovic, Vladimir Mihailovic and Kendrick Perry all playing really good basketball in November. In a four-way tie at 1-1, playing with just that extra inch of confidence brought to you by the home crowd could make all the difference en route to the FIBA EuroBasket 2025.

#15 Bosnia and Herzegovina (+1)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: @ Croatia on Thursday, vs Croatia on Sunday

OH LORD! Gigantic double-header against the neighbors awaits, as France are still perfect, and Cyprus are already in, whoever gets the tiebreaker in Zagreb and Sarajevo could be in, while the losing team could be out of the hunt for a spot at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025. Every single point counts with these two, every possession, every second of the shot clock… There are no secrets between these two nations, just tune in on Thursday and Sunday and keep your calculators close.

#16 Croatia (-3)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: vs Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday, @ Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday

Just read the Bosnia and Herzegovina part again… Arguably the two biggest games of the window!

Oh, yeah, Croatia lose three spots because even though they were really good at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament last summer, their Big Three is now Big One, Mario Hezonja being the only one of the Hezonja – Dario Saric – Ivica Zubac triangle available in November.

#17 Bulgaria (+4)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: @ Montenegro on Friday, vs Montenegro on Monday

Two words to explain why Bulgaria jumped by four spots, which is the largest leap of the Power Rankings along with Germany: Sasha Vezenkov. He’s on the list, he’ll be there for the second matchup at home against Montenegro, and it kinda feels like the type of game where he could go above the 30-point mark if needed.

#18 Israel (-1)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: two games vs Ukraine in Riga, Latvia, on Saturday and Monday

Two tough games await against Ukraine, not just because both would be played at a neutral venue, but also because Ukraine look like a much tougher team than their record suggests. The roster is as good as it gets, and the goal is pretty clear – two wins in two games send them through to FIBA EuroBasket 2025.

We talked about different youngsters, so it’s only fair to tell you Israel called up probably the most exciting one in November. Ben Saraf is already averaging double figures for Ulm as an 18-year-old, and don’t forget he averaged 28.1 points, 5.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket last summer.

#19 Finland (-1)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: vs Georgia on Thursday, @ Georgia on Sunday

They are already in as hosts, but the two games against Georgia give us a chance to revisit one of the greatest bromances in international basketball, with Sasu Salin and Giorgi Shermadini called up on both sides. The two of them played together at Olimpija in Slovenia in 2010-11, then joined forces at Unicaja in Spain from 2017 to 2019, and went on to spend another five years together at La Laguna Tenerife.

They played together for so long, don’t be surprised if Sasu is celebrating Giorgi’s and-one sky-hook, or if Giorgi raises three fingers in the air as Sasu fires up from beyond the arc.

#20 Iceland (-1)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: vs Italy on Friday, @ Italy on Monday

Two things, (1) Tryggvi Hlinason is on the list, and (2) that’s awesome, because the last time he played against Italy, he had 34 points, 21 rebounds, 5 blocks and an efficiency rating of 50.

Do it again, Tryggvi. Come on, do it.

#21 Denmark (-1)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: vs Serbia on Thursday, @ Serbia on Sunday

Iffe Lundberg probably can’t get his phone to stop ringing these days. That’s what happens when you’re a Partizan player and you get to face Serbia with your national team. Get this, even though we have Denmark at #21 here, they could be through to the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 by the end of this month, but they need a pair of wins over Serbia, plus a pair of Finnish wins over Georgia.

It could happen. It’s not exactly easy, but it could happen. We’ve seen crazier things…

#22 Georgia (+1)

Record: 0-2
Schedule: @ Finland on Thursdays, vs Finland on Sunday

Glass half empty? They lose to Finland twice, Denmark beats Serbia twice, it’s all over.

Glass half full? They beat Finland twice, Serbia take care of business against Denmark, and all of a sudden, Georgia are hot favorites to reach the Final Round.

Realistic outlook? We probably have to wait for the matchup with Denmark in February to get the final answer who’s off to the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 main draw.

#23 North Macedonia (+1)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: vs Lithuania on Thursday, @ Lithuania on Sunday

We were ready to pull out the TJ Shorts – Bo McCalebb comparison, as a potential superhero who single-handedly tortures the Lithuanian backcourt for 40 minutes and guides his adopted nation towards victory. But instead, it’ll be Ethan Happ filling the naturalized spot on the roster, battling with the bigs.

Two super tough games against Lithuania that can define the Qualifiers for North Macedonia.

#24 Poland (-2)

Record: 0-2
Schedule: vs Estonia on Thursday, @ Estonia on Sunday

Sure, they are through to the Final Round as hosts… But the prospect of being 0-4 is far from perfect, and far from that “It’s okay, we’ll figure it out for 2025” mindset.

#25 Ukraine (+3)

Record: 0-2
Schedule: two games vs Israel in Riga, Latvia, on Saturday and Monday

Although playing in Riga is far from playing at home, Ukraine actually have some good news regarding that venue. Their one-two punch of Issuf Sanon and Vyacheslav Bobrov signed a contract with the perennial Latvian champs VEF Riga over the summer, meaning they will know a secret or two about that arena and the rims.

Yeah, yeah, it’s a minor thing, but with these teams being so close to each other, every detail matters.

#26 Sweden (-1)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: vs Germany on Friday, @ Germany on Monday

Two games against the reigning world champs… The fear of facing new-look, highly motivated Germany twice in four days is the main reason why Sweden lost a spot. Oh, and they’ll also have a lot of Spanish flavor to their game, with Simon Birgander, Wilhelm Falk, Ludde Hakanson, Olle Lundqvist and Melwin Pantzar all playing for Spanish clubs right now. Maybe they know Alex Mumbru’s secrets, huh?

#27 Great Britain (-1)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: vs Greece on Thursday, @ Greece on Sunday

Two games against Greece… Ouch. Then again, this #27 could easily be a top 15 spot the next time we talk, because Great Britain could actually advance to the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 with a pair of wins, and if Czechia help them out with a pair of wins of their own, against the Netherlands.

#28 Portugal (-1)

Record: 1-1
Schedule: vs Slovenia on Friday, @ Slovenia on Monday

Same as with most of the others in the high 20s, the upcoming schedule is the main reason why they aren’t higher than 28. And, same as with Team GB, a pair of wins could send them to top 15, because they could also be in the main draw if they have a perfect window against Slovenia, and Israel beats Ukraine twice.

#29 Hungary (0)

Record: 0-2
Schedule: @ Türkiye on Friday, vs Türkiye on Monday

The idea is to survive the first Turkish encounter, and then give the ball to Zoltan Perl and let him cook the same way he always cooks in that arena in Szombathely. There are some dark clouds on the horizon at 0-2, but this is a physically strong team with Adam Hanga, Akos Keller, Szilard Benke, David Vojvoda and Nate Reuvers, so maybe that’s their path towards a win or two.

#30 Netherlands (0)

Record: 0-2
Schedule: @ Czechia on Thursday, vs Czechia on Sunday

More and more of the Dutch players are gaining attention worldwide, and this is their last chance to gain attention in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. It doesn’t even have to be flashy or bouncy, it doesn’t even have to be Worthy de Jong at the 3×3 Olympics kind of clutch, but they need a win or two to get them off the mark and send them towards the Final Round tickets. It’s not now or never. But it’s not far from it, either.

#31 Slovakia (0)

Record: 0-2
Schedule: vs Spain on Friday, @ Spain on Monday

Slovakia are that Ralph Wiggum “I’m in danger” meme. Because it’s tough facing Spain at any point of your existence, but facing them while you’re both at 0-2, and the reigning FIBA EuroBasket champs know they face elimination now… Yeah, that’s tough for any opponent, because Spain will be as motivated as ever. Hence the I’m in danger meme.

#32 Cyprus (0)

Record: 0-2
Schedule: vs Cyprus on Thursday, @ France on Sunday

There isn’t a better opportunity to learn and improve than facing France in two competitive games, and as hosts, Cyprus can enter these challenges relaxed, knowing they are already in. But they need to do better than 0-2 and -62 to improve in the Power Rankings.

Note: The Power Rankings are entirely subjective and is in no way a true, accurate ranking system. All comments are purely those of the author.