Croatia’s basketball team dominated Israel 85:71 in World Championship qualifying Group G on November 30, 2025, in Riga, securing a 2-0 start tied atop with Germany.
A 12:0 opening run fueled by Mario Hezonja’s two threes gave Croatia early control, tying 25:25 after Q1 before pulling ahead 47:42 at halftime; a third-quarter surge built +18 via an 11:1 stretch.
Michael Ružić led with 23 points (11/15 FG), 9 rebounds, 3 assists; Hezonja added 19 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists; Luka Božić scored 11.
Coach Tomislav Mijatović’s squad eyes February clashes with Germany.
COMPETITION FORMAT
Qualifying will span six windows from November 2025 to March 2027, with 32 teams advancing to the World Championship, including 12 from Europe. Croatia starts in Group E alongside Germany, Israel, and Cyprus.
The top three teams from each group advance to the second European round, joining three teams from another group while carrying over first-round results to keep every match meaningful.
Teams play home-and-away against three opponents from the other group across three windows in August 2026, November 2026, and February 2027. The top three from each final group secure World Championship spots.
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