The favorite for the World Cup is the United States (USA) team, and according to predictions, the three European countries closest to them are France, Belgium, and Spain.
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It was the current European champion Belgium that the Lithuanian basketball players managed to defeat 73:69 last November in the Old Continent championship qualifiers.
The next official match for Vilius Stanišauskas’ trainees will be on November 12, when they will play at home against Finland.
LIETUVA.BASKETBALL interviewed the Lithuanian national team players about the upcoming women’s World Cup.
The last time the Lithuanian women’s national team played in the world championship was in 2006. Is our national team capable of qualifying for the 2030 world championship in Japan?
“I think it is really very realistic,” says Lithuanian national team and Clemson University basketball player Rusnė Augustinaitė.
The Lithuanians were also close to the World Cup in the summer of 2025, when our country’s team performed successfully at the European Championship and reached the top 8 teams.
At the World Championship in Berlin, half of the teams will be from the Old Continent. These are Belgium, Spain, France, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Italy, Turkey.
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Which of these could Lithuania compete point for point with today?
“I think you can play point for point with every team. Of course, it all depends on the scouting you do and how you implement the game plan. In this World Championship, I will support France,” shares Rusnė.
“Qualifying for the next World Championship is very realistic for Lithuania,” says one of the most promising Lithuanian basketball players, U20 European vice-champion Sintija Aukštikalnytė. “We can definitely compete with all European teams now. At the World Cup in Berlin, I will support Spain.”
Similar opinions are held by Lithuanian national team center Laura Miškinienė:
“We can definitely qualify for the upcoming World Championship. We need to work, believe, because that’s why we play basketball. Of course, it would be difficult now to play against the French or the Americans, but other teams are definitely beatable. In this World Championship, I will support the French and Belgians.”
On Friday from 18:40, there will be an intriguing match between the German and Spanish teams.
On Saturday at 18:55, spectators will be able to watch the match between Japan and Germany, and on Sunday from 18:40 – the clash between Puerto Rico and Belgium.
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The world champions will be decided on Sunday, September 13.
