Cyprus loses to Croatia in FIBA World Cup qualifier before match against Germany

The Cyprus national basketball team suffered a 123-50 defeat against Croatia in their fifth qualifying match for the 2027 FIBA World Cup, held at the Spyros Kyprianou Arena. Croatia dominated throughout the game, ending the first half with a 59-26 lead and increasing the pressure to a 73-point margin by the final buzzer. Ivica Zubac led Croatia with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Mario Hezonja achieved a triple-double. For Cyprus, Stefanos Tigkas was the only player to reach double digits with 10 points. Following this 0-5 record in the qualifiers, Cyprus is scheduled to play its final group match against Germany in Bamberg on July 6. The Cypriot team, coached by Antonis Konstantinidis, aims to gain experience from these high-level encounters before participating in the FIBA EuroBasket 2029 pre-qualifiers in August.