WCQ: Serbia Pulled Off Incredible Comeback to Beat Switzerland

The opening day of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers delivered high drama, surprising scorelines and a memorable comeback. While Serbia produced one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent national-team history, the other AdmiralBet ABA League nations faced a difficult start to their qualification campaigns.

Serbia opened the qualifiers in spectacular fashion. Playing at home against Switzerland, the Serbian national team found itself in deep trouble after a first half. Switzerland stunned the visitors with a barrage of tough shots, while Serbia struggled to find rhythm on either end of the floor - resulting in a 23-point halftime deficit.

But the second half brought a completely different Serbia.

Led by captain Dušan Ristić, the team came out with renewed energy, tightening their defense and finally finding flow in the offense. Point by point, Serbia chipped away at the lead, turning what looked like a lost cause into a dramatic chase.

In the final minutes, the game turned into a true nail-biter, but Serbia showed more composure down the stretch. With key plays on both ends of the court, they completed an incredible comeback and sealed a 90:86 victory to open their road to the World Cup in style - and on the debut of head coach Velimir Alimpijević.

Meanwhile in other games, Romania suffered a heavy road defeat against Greece, losing 64:91 in a game controlled by the hosts from start to finish.

Montenegro opened the qualifiers with a disappointing 62:83 home loss against Portugal, as the visitors took the lead early and never looked back.

Bosnia and Herzegovina were defeated on the road by Türkiye, falling 71:93 after struggling to keep pace with the hosts throughout the match.

2027 World Cup Qualifiers, Round 1, Thursday, November 27, 2025:

SERBIA – Switzerland 90:86 (20:30, 14:27, 25:13, 31:16)
Ristić 24, Miljenović 23 | Schumacher Bell 19, Fofana 15.

GREECE – Romania 91:64 (26:12, 19:17, 23:15, 23:20)
Larentzakis 18, Persidis 17 | Maciuca 13, Tohatan 9.

Montenegro – PORTUGAL 62:83 (21:14, 11:25, 11:25, 19:19)
Simonović 13, Kljajić 11 | Williams 16, Monteiro 13.

TURKIYE – Bosnia and Herzegovina 93:71 (29:20, 17:25, 21:13, 26:13)
Biberović 20, Hazer 18 | Alibegović 18, Sulejmanović 12.