Duel for leadership in Group "F": Austria and North Macedonia play in Vienna
The match is scheduled for 30 August at "Sport Arena Vienna" with a start at 16:05; Group "F" is made up of Austria, North Macedonia and Cyprus, and only the first-placed team secures a spot in the main qualifiers.
Austria and North Macedonia will open the second round of the pre-qualifiers for EuroBasket 2029 with a head-to-head match in Vienna on 30 August, scheduled to start at 16:05 at the "Sport Arena Vienna." The match will be the first official test for the selections of head coach Josep Maria Berrocal in the battle for first place in Group "F."
What is at stake?
The winner of this duel will make a big step toward dominance in the group — North Macedonia enters the second round with maximum momentum: in the first phase it finished first with six wins from six matches and is among the 12 teams that will fight for the four places that lead to the main qualifiers for EuroBasket 2029.
Austria is a well-known opponent, although official meetings between the two national teams are not frequent. The most recent head-to-head clashes date back to the qualifiers for EuroBasket 2005, when North Macedonia recorded two convincing wins — 101:75 away and 99:62 at home. In the previous qualifying cycle, Austria participated in the qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup, where it posted a 1-5 record against Latvia, the Netherlands and Poland; afterward it joined the second round of the pre-qualifiers for EuroBasket 2029 and is considered one of the main contenders in the group.
Matches in Group "F" will be played across three windows — in August and November 2026, and in February 2027 — and only the top-placed team will secure a place in the main qualifiers.
Head coach Aramis Naglić has called a wider list of 28 players for the upcoming fixtures, led by NBA center Jakob Pöltl (Toronto Raptors). The first camp ahead of the new FIBA window is scheduled for 17 August in Vienna. Austria's wider list: Luka Brajkovic, Lukas Cvetkovic, Aron Stazic, Edi Patekar, Erik Diec, Erol Ersek, Daniel Friedrich, Jakob Lohr, Miro Zaf, Daniel Grgic, Daniel Kepel, Lukas Hahn, Konstantin Zauer, Jakob Skuta, Starlin Inoa Gil, Elvir Jakupovic, Sebastian Keferle, Florian Kepel, Renato Poljak, Nordin Kapic, Thomas Klepeis, Jonathan Knesl, Sylven Landesberg, Niko Zheleznik, Elias Vlasak, Timo Lanmüller, Jakob Pöltl and Bogic Vujosevic.
The trip to Vienna will be an opportunity for the North Macedonia national team to extend the winning streak from the first phase and make a decisive push to claim first place in Group "F," which would mean qualification for the main qualifiers for EuroBasket 2029.
Photo: press material from the event
