By Eurohoops Team/ [email protected]
After a rigorous selection process, Spain, Estonia, Greece, and Slovenia were granted hosting rights to the EuroBasket 2029.
One out of the four preliminary groups and the knockout stage will be played in Madrid, with the opening game being held in the Santiago Bernabeu football stadium and expected to get a record-breaking 80.000 spectators. The three remaining groups will be held in Tallinn, Athens, and Ljubljana.
The hosts of the 43rd edition of the EuroBasket were announced during a meeting of the FIBA Europe Board in Riga on Thursday.
Among the eight initial candidates, Germany and Finland withdrew their bids. Lithuania and the Netherlands were ruled out during the final selection process.
In addition to hosting rights, Spain, Estonia, Greece, and Slovenia also secured an automatic EuroBasket berth. The remaining spots will be decided by the Qualifiers.
This summer, EuroBasket 2025 will be played between August 27 and September 14 in Cyprus, Finland, Poland, and Latvia, with Riga hosting the knockout stage.
Per the press release: “The hosts for FIBA EuroBasket 2029 have been confirmed, with hosting rights awarded to the National Federations of Estonia, Greece, Spain and Slovenia.
The 43rd edition of the prestigious competition will be played in Athens, Greece; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Tallinn, Estonia and Madrid, Spain, with the Spanish capital also set to provide the backdrop for the Final Phase.
The decision was confirmed on Thursday following a meeting of the FIBA Europe Board, which evaluated bids from interested countries.
“We are excited to bring FIBA EuroBasket 2029 to some of Europe’s prime basketball destinations, each with a strong basketball culture and a clear commitment to delivering an outstanding event,” said FIBA Europe President Jorge Garbajosa.
“We look forward to working closely with the host countries to ensure a successful and memorable tournament for teams, fans, and partners alike.”
With the multi-host format introduced in 2015, this will mark the fifth time the tournament will be hosted by four countries.
FIBA Executive Director Europe Kamil Novak added: “The interest our National Federations have shown in organizing this event speaks to the growing profile and prestige of FIBA EuroBasket. We thank all the bidders for their outstanding proposals and extend our best wishes to the four hosts as they begin their journey toward delivering a fantastic tournament.”
Final Phase hosts and reigning EuroBasket champions Spain will welcome the competition for the first time since 2007, marking a return of Europe’s premier basketball event on their home soil.
Two of the other confirmed hosts – Greece and Slovenia – also bring valuable experience from previously organizing past editions of EuroBasket. Meanwhile, the selection of first-time organizers Estonia represents a historic milestone in the continued growth of basketball across Europe and a strategic expansion of the competition’s geographical reach.
The newly confirmed FIBA EuroBasket 2029 co-hosts will take over from Cyprus, Finland, Latvia, and Poland, who are set to host the 2025 edition from August 27 to September 14.”
Following the Board meeting in the capital of Latvia, the meeting of Secretaries General and the General Assembly of FIBA Europe 2025 are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
Photo Credit: FIBA