Romanian men's basketball team qualifies for 2nd round of 2027 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers

Romanian men's basketball team qualified for the second round of the European pre-qualifiers at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup, after defeating North Macedonia 79-66 (26-19, 19-15, 14-15, 20-17) on Wednesday evening, in Oradea, in Group E.

Romania achieved its third win in as many matches and can no longer lose one of the top two spots in the group.

Stefan Grasu was the best player of the team with 20 points and 3 rebounds, Emanuel Cate contributed 10 points and 8 rebounds, while Rares Uta added 11 points.

For the losers, Jacob Wiley stood out with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists.

Romania leads the group with 6 points, followed by Hungary and North Macedonia, both with 3 points. The remaining matches are Hungary vs. Romania (August 16) and North Macedonia vs. Hungary (August 20). The top two teams will qualify for the 2027 World Cup pre-qualifiers.