EuroBasket 2025 Group D Insights: Teams, Trends, and Predictions

• EuroBasket Group D Preview
• France – Expectations always the highest
• Belgium – Commitment and fighting spirit
• Israel – Placing great hopes on their NBA star
• Slovenia – former European champions shaken before the tournament
• Poland – hoping for another success with strong home support
• Iceland – still waiting for their first EuroBasket win

EuroBasket Group D Preview

Katowice and the Spodek Arena will once again, after 16 years, have the chance to host some of the best European national teams.

In Group D, alongside host Poland, are France, Belgium, Israel, Slovenia, and Iceland. The top four teams in the group will advance to the Round of 16.

France - Expectations always the highest

France comes to the tournament with a much-changed roster compared to previous competitions. Nando De Colo and Nicolas Batum have retired from international basketball, while injured stars Wembanyama, Fournier, Gobert, and Lessort are also missing. Despite all these roster problems, France still has a very talented and quality team that is expected to play an important role at EuroBasket and fight for a medal.

Belgium - Commitment and fighting spirit

Belgium continues its tradition of EuroBasket participation. This is their sixth consecutive appearance, and they will try, as one of the two underdogs in the group, to reach the knockout stage. They do not have a clear star player, with center Ismael Bako being the only one competing in the EuroLeague. The lack of individual quality is evident, but they will try to compensate with teamwork and sacrifice. Their chances are not big, but they should not be underestimated.

Israel - Placing great hopes on their NBA star

Israel’s best EuroBasket finish in this century was 7th place at the 2003 championship in Sweden. This generation, led by rising NBA star Deni Avdija coming off the best season of his career will try to match that result. The rest of the roster consists mostly of players from domestic clubs, mainly Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Jerusalem, and Hapoel Tel Aviv. Yam Madar and Roman Sorkin both had strong club seasons and are expected to be Avdija’s biggest support in scoring distribution.

Slovenia - former European champions shaken before the tournament

Slovenia is far from as strong as in previous competitions, and realistically it is hard to see them fighting for a medal. Luka Doncic is, as always, there, but several key withdrawals have seriously weakened the team. On top of that, the atmosphere is not great after the exclusion of the younger Dragic brother. With Doncic’s elite quality, Slovenia can certainly reach the semifinals, but for anything more, the rest of the team would need to play far above their limits, which does not seem like a realistic scenario at the moment.

Poland - hoping for another success with strong home support

The host nation will try to repeat the success from the last EuroBasket, where they sensationally reached the semifinals. At first, it looks like an impossible task, but bigger surprises have happened. Captain Mateusz Ponitka once again leads Poland, while the new addition Jordan Loyd brings experience as a naturalized American. Another key player is Unicaja’s center Aleksander Balcerowski, who will have plenty of freedom to show his talent.

Iceland - still waiting for their first EuroBasket win

Qualifying for EuroBasket is already a big success for Iceland, who are complete outsiders in this group. This is their third appearance at the tournament, with the previous two ending in last place. Alba Berlin’s Martin Hermansson is the star and leader of the team, while Bilbao center Tryggvi Hilnason is another player to watch. Iceland is still waiting for its first-ever EuroBasket victory, and their biggest chance may come against Belgium.