Facts: This is how Sweden’s World Cup qualifiers look like
Sweden progressed from the first qualifying group as the third and last team together with Slovenia and Finland, after the latter won over Croatia, who thus became jumbo.
Sweden took their points from the first qualifying group (eight points) into the second and will face Estonia, Germany and Israel at home and away. Slovenia and Finland will do the same.
The top three teams in the group will then advance to the Basketball World Cup in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia in 2023.
+ Sweden’s WC qualifying matches
August 25: Sweden–Germany 50–67.
August 28: Israel–Sweden, 83–95
November 10: Estonia–Sweden.
November 13: Sweden–Israel.
February 24: Germany–Sweden.
February 27: Sweden–Estonia.
Exact times for the final four games have yet to be confirmed.
+ Sweden’s WC qualifying group
1. Germany, 15 points.
2. Finland, 15 points.
3. Slovenia, 13 points.
4. Sweden, 11 points.
5. Israel, 11 points.
6. Estonia, 10 points.
In case of victory, the team is awarded two points and in case of loss, one point.
With four qualifying matches left to play, Sweden still has the chance to go to a sensational basketball World Cup.
95-83 away to Israel was a statement of strength where Sweden impressed from the start – and early on had the lead with nine points.
But Israel began to find the right ground more and more often, catching up and even taking the lead at the start of the second period.
However, Sweden, led in the offensive by Tobias Borg and Melwin Pantzar, would make most things click. At the same time that Israel’s offense was going haywire, Sweden put point after point and at halftime Blue and Gold led 52-38.
A big difference to Sweden’s strong offensive game was that the three-point shooting was markedly better than against Germany last Thursday, when they made only 2 of 22 attempts.
Against Israel, it was a completely different shooting. Among other things, Tobias Borg, top scorer in Sweden with 20 points, scored four out of four attempts.
However, Israel, with NBA player Deni Avdija in the team, would work closer and was only four points behind at the beginning of the fourth period.
But this was Sweden’s night.
Thanks to a discharge at the end, Sweden was able to win comfortably 95–83.
In total, three teams in the six-team qualifying group advance to the Basketball World Cup 2023. Sweden currently has eleven points, the same as Israel, and has two points up on Slovenia in third place.
Four matches remain in the World Cup qualifiers and Sweden will face Estonia twice and Germany and Israel once more.