EuroBasket · History

EuroBasket is the men's European basketball championship for national teams, organised by FIBA Europe, the European zone of the International Basketball Federation. The first edition was held in Geneva in 1935, with ten countries taking part. Until 2015 the tournament also handed out places at the Olympic Games and the World Cup. Since 2017 it has been played every four years.

The early championships (1935-1949)

Latvia won the inaugural title, beating Spain 24-18 in the Geneva final. Czechoslovakia finished third and hosts Switzerland fourth. Lithuania took the next two editions, in 1937 and 1939, with Italy as runner-up in the first and Latvia in the second. The war halted the competition until 1946, when it returned to Geneva and Czechoslovakia won ahead of Italy. In 1947, in Prague, the Soviet Union made its debut and took the title with a 56-37 win over the Czechoslovaks in the final. Two years later the tournament was staged in Cairo, where hosts Egypt finished first and France second.

Fourteen Soviet titles

Between 1947 and 1985 the Soviet Union collected 14 titles, the highest total in the competition. It won in 1947, 1951, 1953, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1979, 1981 and 1985. In the 1950s only Hungary, champions on home soil in 1955 with Czechoslovakia second, broke that run. The last Soviet crown came in Stuttgart in 1985, in a final against Czechoslovakia. Two years later in Athens, Greece beat the Soviet Union 103-101 after overtime, with 40 points from Nikos Galis, to win their first championship.

Yugoslavia and the 1980s

Yugoslavia won for the first time in Barcelona in 1973, defeating Spain 78-67 in the final. They repeated as hosts in 1975 and again in 1977, beating the Soviet Union 74-61. Italy claimed their first title in France in 1983 with a 105-96 win over Spain. Yugoslavia were champions again in Zagreb in 1989 and in Rome in 1991, their fifth gold before the country broke up. As the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the team added three more titles in 1995, 1997 — with Italy as finalists — and 2001, the last of them in Istanbul after a 78-69 win over Turkey.

From Munich to Madrid (1993-2007)

Germany won their first championship as hosts in Munich in 1993, edging Russia 71-70. Italy added a second title in Paris in 1999, beating Spain 64-56 in the final. Lithuania regained the gold in 2003, again against Spain in the decisive game, and Greece won for a second time in 2005 after defeating Germany. Spain hosted the 2007 tournament, and the Madrid final ended in a 60-59 Russian win over the home side.

Spain's era (2009-2022)

The Spain national team won its first EuroBasket on 20 September 2009 at the Spodek in Katowice, Poland, beating Serbia 85-63. In 2011 the final tournament grew from 16 to 24 teams, and Spain kept the title in Kaunas with a 98-85 win over France. France won their first gold in Slovenia in 2013, with Lithuania as runners-up. Spain triumphed again in Lille in 2015, beating Lithuania 80-63. In 2017, with Finland, Israel, Romania and Turkey as hosts, Slovenia became champions for the first time by defeating Serbia 93-85 in Istanbul, with 35 points from Goran Dragić. The edition planned for 2021 was pushed back a year by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 tournament, shared by Czechia, Georgia, Italy and Germany, gave Spain a fourth title with an 88-76 win over France in Berlin, with Willy Hernangómez named MVP.

The 2025 edition

EuroBasket 2025 was played in Limassol, Tampere, Katowice and Riga. The final took place in Riga on 14 September 2025, where Germany beat Turkey 88-83 to win their second championship, 32 years after Munich. Turkey matched their best finish, the silver of 2001, and Greece took bronze. Dennis Schröder, who had 16 points and 12 assists in the final, was named MVP of EuroBasket 2025.