Georgian national basketball team begins Tbilisi training camp ahead of crucial August fixtures #1TVSPORT
The Georgian national basketball team has commenced training in Tbilisi ahead of their crucial fixtures coming up in August.
At the end of August, Aleksandar Džikić’s side faces two pivotal World Cup qualifiers, hosting Montenegro in Tbilisi on August 28, followed by an away clash against Portugal on 31 August. Before those competitive fixtures, Georgia will host Israel in a friendly in Tbilisi on August 23.
Training alongside the national squad ahead of these upcoming encounters are NBA stars Goga Bitadze and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Naturalised import Marcquise Reed is also in camp with the team, alongside captain Tornike Shengelia, who completed a move to BC Dubai just a few days ago.
These official matches will determine whether the national side secures a place at the World Cup for only the second time in history. Georgia made their debut on the global stage in 2023, defeating Cape Verde and Venezuela on the Japanese island of Okinawa to advance to the second round and finish among the world’s top 16 teams.
A total of 32 national teams from across Europe are competing for spots at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup. They will contend for 12 final tournament places across six window periods under a two-stage qualification system. Following the conclusion of the initial round, the top three teams from each group advanced to the next stage, forming four new six-team groups.
In the second group stage, scheduled for August and November 2026, as well as February 2027, teams will only face opponents they have not previously encountered. Ultimately, the top three teams from each of these new groups will secure qualification for the World Cup.
Teams from Georgia’s initial group (Georgia, Spain, Ukraine) will cross paths with the top sides from Group B (Greece, Montenegro, Portugal).
GPB First Channel will broadcast the Georgian national team’s matches live:
Georgia vs Israel | 23 August, 19:15
Georgia vs Montenegro | 28 August, 19:15
Portugal vs Georgia | 31 August, 22:00