Portugal’s Basketball World Cup 2027 Bid in Jeopardy After 68-76 Home Loss to Greece

A seven-point cushion vanished on Sunday night in Matosinhos, and with it Portugal’s chance to lead its FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 qualifying pool. Greece overturned the deficit with ruthless efficiency, handing the home side a 68-76 defeat that reminds supporters how thin the margin for error will be on the road to the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar.

A roller-coaster that ended in silence at the final buzzer

Portugal’s first home outing of this qualifying cycle began in rousing fashion, the arena roaring as Travante Williams, Rafael Lisboa and Diogo Brito combined for an early scoring burst. Yet the noise evaporated when Greece stitched together a 13-0 run, flipping momentum before the break. The visitors entered the interval just one point up, but their superior second-half execution—particularly from Giannoulis Larentzakis and Alexandros Samodurov—kept the hosts chasing shadows. For Portuguese fans, the cruel twist was witnessing a team that had routed Montenegro three days earlier now struggle to match Greece’s half-court poise and defensive discipline.

Group B picture: pressure arrives early

Because this opening window features only two games for Portugal, Sunday’s loss instantly complicates the standings. Greece leads with 4 points, Montenegro sits on 3, and Portugal’s single point leaves no cushion once the fourth qualifier emerges from the pre-round playoffs. The mathematics are straightforward: three nations progress to the next stage, taking every previous result with them. Dropping a home fixture therefore forces Portugal to steal one on the road if it wishes to remain on track for a maiden trip to the Middle East showcase. The federation’s analysts point out that slipping to 0-2 would all but demand a flawless record in 2026, when qualification windows collide with domestic league commitments and injuries become harder to mask.

Individual flashes amid collective frustration

Williams poured in 15 points and again showed why he is coach Mário Gomes’s most reliable creator when the shot clock shrinks. Lisboa orchestrated with purpose, adding 12 points and several probing drives, while Brito’s ten kept hope alive in the fourth quarter. Yet Greece’s depth proved decisive: captain Kostas Papanikolaou sealed passing lanes, combo guard Naz Mitrou-Long punished mismatches, and Larentzakis’s cool head yielded a team-high 15 points. The contrast underlined a familiar Portuguese dilemma—elite firepower in isolated bursts but insufficient bench production to survive prolonged offensive droughts.

What comes next and why it matters

Portugal’s squad will reconvene in February for a trip to whichever nation secures the last berth in Group B. Victory is essential, not merely for points but to restore belief ahead of a daunting visit to Thessaloniki in summer. Behind the scenes, the federation continues to invest in talent pipelines, betting that the generation now excelling in the Liga Betclic can mature quickly enough to carry the national jersey into uncharted territory. Supporters have reason to keep faith: despite Sunday’s stumble, the programme has climbed 30 places in the FIBA world ranking over the past decade. A single defeat does not erase that progress, but it does sharpen the stakes of every possession from here to 2027.