Latvia's 3x3 basketball team to face Ireland and Lithuania at European Championship

Latvia's 3x3 basketball national team starts its European Championship campaign today in Antwerp, Belgium. The team's opening group-stage match against Ireland is set for 14:55, followed by an evening game against Lithuania at 21:20. Both matches will be streamed live on FIBA's "3x3 Basketball" YouTube channel.

Latvia's roster for this tournament includes Nauris Miezis, Zigmars Raimo, Rihards Kuksiks and Kristaps Gluditis. Three of them won silver at last year's European Championship. Miezis brings the most experience, having reached four European finals — winning gold with the team in 2017 and taking silver three more times since.

Group stage outlook

Last year's final saw Latvia face Lithuania, but this time the two teams will meet already in the group stage. Before that clash, scheduled for this evening, both sides must first play against lower-ranked Ireland. Heading into the tournament, Latvia sits sixth in the FIBA pre-event ranking, Lithuania is third, and Ireland is 11th.

Twelve national teams are competing in the championship, split into four groups of three. The top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals. Latvia's group could face Group A representatives Serbia, Belgium or Switzerland in the quarterfinals, with Serbia considered the overall tournament favorite and, in theory, the least convenient potential opponent.

Groups B and D already played their matches the previous day. In Group D, Estonia failed to record a single win, finishing behind France and Germany. In Group B, Spain and the Netherlands secured quarterfinal spots, though the Netherlands finished second after a tight 13:14 loss to Spain. As a result, two quarterfinal matchups are already set: Spain against France, and Germany against the Netherlands. The knockout stage and medal matches in Belgium will take place the following day.