FIBA WC Qualifiers: Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina celebrate important home wins, Montenegro falls in Georgia

Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina recorded important home victories in Friday’s 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers, while Montenegro suffered a road defeat against Georgia.

In Group J, Bosnia & Herzegovina pulled off a huge win in Tuzla, where they stunned Italy in a thrilling finish to claim a 78:76 victory and keep their World Cup hopes alive.

The hosts entered the decisive two minutes trailing 72:73, but Amar Alibegović stepped up when it mattered most, knocking down a huge three-pointer to put Bosnia & Herzegovina ahead 75:73. Moments later, Jusuf Nurkić added an important two-pointer for a four-point advantage.

Italy continued to put pressure on the hosts in the final minute, but Bosnia & Herzegovina held their nerve and stayed in front to secure a precious victory in front of their home crowd.

Nurkić delivered a dominant performance for the winning side, finishing the game with a huge double-double of 25 points and 14 rebounds.

In the same group, Serbia celebrated a convincing 102:73 home victory over Iceland.

Despite finding themselves behind after the opening quarter, Serbia quickly took control of the game. A dominant second-quarter display turned things around for the hosts, while another impressive performance in the final period sealed a comfortable victory.

Nikola Tanasković led the winning side with an excellent performance, finishing the game with 23 points.

With the victory, Serbia improved their overall record to 5-2 and remain inside the top-three zone in Group J. Bosnia & Herzegovina are now at 3-4 following their important victory over Italy and remain in the race for a place at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Meanwhile, Montenegro had a difficult night on the road in Group I, suffering a 101:74 defeat against Georgia.

The loss did not knock Montenegro out of the race, as they remain tied for third place in the group and continue their battle for World Cup qualification.

Yogi Ferrell was Montenegro’s leading scorer in the game with 12 points.

FIBA World Cup Qualifiers Group I, Friday, 28 August 2026:

GEORGIA – Montenegro 101:74 (27:17, 21:25, 29:25, 24:7)
Shengelia 24, Bitadze 23 | Ferrell 12, Drobnjak 11, Kljajić 11.

Group J:

SERBIA – Iceland 102:73 (25:27, 27:15, 18:19, 32:12)
Tanasković 23, Jović 21 | Fridriksson 19, Hermannsson 18.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – Italy 78:76 (18:17, 16:10, 24:27, 20:22)
Nurkić 25, Kamenjaš 13 | Mannion 14, Fontecchio 14.