By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
The draw for the 2025 EuroBasket is scheduled for March 27th, but each of the four hosts (Cyprus, Finland, Latvia, and Poland) was granted the right to select a partner federation based on commercial and marketing criteria. These teams will automatically be placed into the same group as their chosen partner country.
Therefore, Finland chose Lithuania and will play in Group B, which will be held in Tampere. Latvia also made its choice, selecting its neighbors Estonia to join them in Group A, which will be played in Riga.
“The Lithuanian Basketball Federation and Lithuanian fans are known for their exceptional passion for basketball. Our partnership will not only strengthen the sporting value of the tournament but will also bring economic benefits to the entire Tampere region – hotels, restaurants, and local businesses. At the same time, we will experience the best European basketball culture in Finland.”
“We will warmly welcome the Lithuanian national team and its fans to Tampere. I promise that we will do everything to ensure that the fans in Tampere not only experience the excitement of international basketball but also enjoy the beautiful city of Tampere and the Finnish summer as much as possible,” says Ari Tammivaara, Secretary General of the EuroBasket 2025 Tampere group stage, who is looking forward to welcoming the Lithuanians in Finland.
President of the Latvian Basketball Federation Raimonds Vējonis said:
“Since playing basketball in Latvia, our colleagues in Estonia have been both principled rivals on the court and responsive partners in organizing games and tournaments for teams of various levels, as well as celebrating basketball festivals together. That was ten years ago, when we organized the EuroBasket 2015 group tournament, and the Estonian national colors adorned both the Arena and Riga. I am confident that this summer, too, our neighbors’ masterful team and active fans will make a great contribution to the EuroBasket 2025 success story.”
The EuroBasket 2025 group tournaments in Riga, Katowice, Limassol, and Tampere will take place from August 27 to September 4. The top four teams will qualify for the knockout tournament, which will be held in Riga from September 6 to 14.