Georgia to faces Spain in World Cup Qualifier #1TVSPORT

Today at 22:35 Tbilisi time, the Georgian national basketball team will face Spain on the island of Tenerife. The game will be broadcast live on the GPB First Channel, First Channel Sport and Georgian Radio.

Tournament Outlook

Only one round has been played in the World Cup qualifying stage so far.

• Georgia lost at home to Ukraine 78:92,
• Spain defeated Denmark 74:64.

Three of the four teams in the group will advance to the next stage. After the opening loss, Georgia has no margin for error – the team must gather as many points as possible in the first group stage to keep its chances of qualifying for the World Cup alive.

Shermadini’s 202nd and Final Match

Tonight will mark the final — 202nd — national team appearance for Georgian veteran center Giorgi Shermadini, who has represented Georgia every year since 2006, missing only 2014 due to injury.

As a long-time Tenerife player of seven years, Shermadini will also have many supporters in the stands.

Parallel

Defeating Spain is never easy, but history gives reason for optimism: Georgia has won two of the last three meetings.

In the 2023 World Cup qualifiers, Georgia first lost heavily to Ukraine, but then defeated Spain in Tbilisi.

Three years later, in the EuroBasket opener, Georgia again upset the reigning European champions, winning 83:69.

An interesting detail: Duda Sanadze scored the opening points in both victories. Fans are eager to see who will open the score—and who will secure the winning shot—tonight.

Head-to-Head Record

Georgia and Spain have played five times in total. Spain leads 3:2, but both Georgian victories came in major tournaments:

2022 – Georgia defeated Spain in overtime in the opening match of the World Cup qualifying window.

2025 – Georgia beat Spain in the opening match of EuroBasket.

Below is a summary of all past meetings:

EuroBasket 2013 – Group Stage

09.09.2013
Georgia–Spain 59:83
(17:17, 12:24, 10:21, 20:21)

World Cup 2023 – Qualifying

29.11.2021
Spain–Georgia 89:61
(23:15, 24:16, 17:10, 25:20)

04.07.2022
Georgia–Spain 82:76 (OT)
(15:14, 22:17, 7:16, 23:20, 15:9)

EuroBasket 2022 – Group Stage

03.09.2022
Georgia–Spain 64:90
(16:18, 15:22, 16:31, 17:19)

EuroBasket 2025 – Group Stage

27.08.2025
Georgia–Spain 83:69
(20:17, 17:18, 20:14, 26:20)