Ukraine's Basketball Team Reveals Roster for Upcoming Games Against Georgia and Denmark

Ukraine National Basketball Team Squad

According to Главком: Head coach Ainārs Bagatskis has announced the 14-man roster for Ukraine's crucial FIBA World Cup 2027 qualifiers against Georgia and Denmark. Several key players will miss these matches due to injuries or personal reasons, as Bagatskis explained in his comments. The team will begin its training camp on June 19 ahead of the final games of the first qualification round. The nominally home fixture against Georgia is scheduled for July 2 in Riga, followed by an away match in Copenhagen against Denmark on July 5.

Full Squad List

The Ukrainian roster is composed as follows:

• Guards:
  • Oleksandr Kovliar (Budućnost, Montenegro)
  • Denys Lukashov (Rīgas Zeļļi, Latvia)
  • Yehor Sushkin (Kyiv-Basket, Ukraine)
  • Illia Tyrtyshnyk (Basket Academy Catarzano, Italy)
  • Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (Utah Jazz, NBA)
• Forwards:
  • Ivan Tkachenko (Zadar, Croatia)
  • Oleksandr Kobzystyi (University of Oregon, NCAA)
  • Andrii Voinalovych (Sabah, Azerbaijan)
  • Artem Kovalov (Yankee Ark, Taiwan)
  • Viacheslav Bobrov (Dinamo, Romania)
  • Daniil Shelist (Oviedo, Spain)
• Centers:
  • Daniil Sypalo (Dnipro, Ukraine)
  • Maksym Klychko (East Carolina University, NCAA)
  • Dmytro Skapintsev (Hapoel Jerusalem, Israel)

Absentees include Oleksandr Lypovyi (family reasons), Andrii Novytskyi (not fully recovered from injury), Oleksandr Sanon (injury), Oleksii Blyzniuk (injury), Serhii Zotov (health issues), and Alex Len (injury).

This time, the lineup features Mykhailiuk, Kobzystyi, and Kovalov. Lypovyi will miss the games due to family circumstances, while Novytskyi has not fully recovered from his injury-he has started training but is not yet match-ready. Sanon and Blyzniuk are sidelined with injuries, and Zotov cannot help due to health problems.

Ainārs Bagatskis

Ukraine has also scheduled two friendlies: June 25 against Angola and June 28 against Lithuania in Šiauliai. In the current group standings after four rounds, Spain leads with a perfect 4-0 record, Ukraine sits second at 2-2, Georgia is third also at 2-2, and Denmark remains winless at 0-4.

To advance to the next stage, Ukraine needs at least one of the following scenarios: a Danish loss to Spain, a Ukrainian victory over Georgia, or a defeat to Denmark by no more than 17 points.

In previous head-to-head matchups, Ukraine defeated Georgia 92-79 and Denmark 88-71, but lost twice to Spain (66-86 and 64-78). The top scorer in the Georgia game was Oleksandr Kovliar with 31 points, while Viacheslav Bobrov recorded a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds.

These World Cup 2027 qualifiers are pivotal for Ukraine, as strong performances could secure the team a spot on the global stage. The support of the available players will be critical, especially with several regulars missing due to injuries and personal matters. The upcoming matches will determine whether Ukraine can keep its hopes alive for a place in the final tournament.

As the Ukrainian team prepares for these vital qualifiers, it's essential to consider their upcoming challenges. In a related development, the team has also learned about their opponents for the 2027 World Cup qualifiers, which adds further context to their current preparations. For more details on Ukraine's upcoming rivals and the implications for the team's strategy, visit Ukraine’s upcoming opponents in the qualifiers.