North Macedonia Continues Dominance in EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualification
North Macedonia's basketball team secured their fifth win in five games by defeating Ireland, clinching first place in Group A.
North Macedonia’s national basketball team continued their perfect run in the EuroBasket 2029 pre-qualification on Thursday, July 2, defeating Ireland 77–56 to earn their fifth consecutive victory. Andrej Jakimovski led the winners with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds. For Ireland, Samuel Alajiki was the top scorer with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Sean Flood added 14 points and nine assists.
In the other Group A match, Azerbaijan edged Luxembourg 76–74 on the road. Orhan Haciyev recorded a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Ben Kovacs scored 15 for Luxembourg.
In Group B, Norway dominated Armenia 116–103 at home. Harald Frey paced Norway with 35 points and six assists, while Armenia’s top scorers were Justinian Jessup and Andre Spight, each with 25 points.
Group C saw Kosovo fall to Albania 82–89 at home. Dardan Berisha led Kosovo with 28 points, and Drilon Hajrizi posted a double-double of 19 points and 15 rebounds. Brian Terry led Albania with 25 points and eight assists.
North Macedonia had already secured first place in Group A, while Slovakia leads Group C heading into the final matchday. The winners of each group in the first round, along with the best second-placed team, will advance to the second round, where they will be joined by teams that have completed their World Cup qualifying campaigns. In the second round, 12 teams will be split into four groups, with the group winners earning a spot in the main qualification tournament.
