Israel National Basketball Team Eliminated from World Cup Qualifying
Israel’s World Cup dream ended not with a single blow, but with a grim, two-step collapse in Riga.
After being routed by Poland, the Israel National Basketball Team fell again on Sunday night, this time 85-70 to Latvia, closing the August window with two defeats and confirming their elimination from World Cup qualifying.
A lead built, a lead lost
For a few minutes, it looked different.
Lior Carrera and Netanel Artzi set the tone early, attacking confidently as Israel traded baskets with the hosts. Latvia struck back inside, then an Arturs Strautins three-pointer nudged them ahead, only for Eitan Burg to flip the script again. Burg strung together a couple of sharp plays, and Israel escaped the first quarter with a 22-21 edge and a sense of control it has rarely enjoyed in this campaign.
That control grew in the second period. Guy Palatin and Burg drilled back-to-back threes to open the quarter, forcing a quick Latvian timeout. Israel’s rhythm was crisp, the ball moving, the shots falling. Latvia briefly trimmed the gap to 28-27, but Israel answered with its best stretch of the night – a 12-2 run that silenced the arena and pushed the lead to 40-29, the visitors’ largest advantage.
Then it all unraveled.
Latvia came out of a timeout with a 12-1 burst that flipped the momentum before halftime. The three-point shots kept dropping for the hosts; Israel’s offense suddenly stalled. What had been an 11-point cushion vanished in a few ragged minutes, and the teams went to the locker rooms tied at 41-41, Israel’s earlier dominance reduced to a memory.
Latvia turn the screw
Artzi tried to drag Israel back on course, opening the third quarter with five straight points. It didn’t last. Latvia responded with an 8-2 run to seize a 49-48 lead, and from there the hosts never really looked back.
Strautins took over. He scored repeatedly, stretching the advantage to 58-52 and forcing coach Ariel Beit Halachmi into a timeout. It didn’t slow Latvia. Strautins stayed hot, the perimeter threats kept firing, and the gap swelled to 67-58 by the end of the third quarter.
The knockout punch arrived early in the fourth.
Latvia opened the final frame with three consecutive three-pointers, blowing the game open at 76-62 with seven minutes still on the clock. Israel had no response. The offense, already sputtering, broke down completely. Just 29 points came after halftime, a meager return against a team shooting confidently from deep and punishing every defensive lapse.
Yam Madar led Israel with 15 points, Artzi added 11, while Itay Segev and Roman Sorkin chipped in nine apiece. It was nowhere near enough.
“We don’t have the luxury”
Beit Halachmi did not sugarcoat the situation.
“We started the game well, but toward the end of the second quarter we lost the momentum,” he said. “In the second half, we got into foul trouble, and that changed the momentum of the game. They shot a high percentage from 3-point range and took advantage of the mistakes we made. That changed the momentum of the game, and we got into foul trouble.”
The coach pointed directly at the wider structural issue that has haunted this qualifying run: constant absences and a revolving-door roster.
“I think we don’t have the luxury of showing up for international windows without our leading players. We were missing quite a few players, and that had an impact. Different players have been available for each window, and it’s difficult to implement a style of play. Israeli basketball doesn’t have the option of throwing away games; we need everyone with us. Other national teams have been playing with the same roster for a long period of time, but unfortunately, that’s not the case for us.”
He also made a point of thanking the Latvian Basketball Association “which has been hosting us here for some time and helping us with everything possible.”
On the floor, Sorkin, one of the few constants in this campaign, turned the spotlight on the players.
“I can say that from the players’ side, which I’m part of, we have to look better. We can’t look like this. We need to play better. I’m speaking about myself right now and not criticizing anyone else. I have no excuses; the only thing I know is that we have to play better and show up differently for games.”
Poland set the tone for a bleak window
By the time Latvia delivered the final blow, the damage had already been done against Poland.
In the opening game of the second round in Riga, Poland seized control from the tip. Mateusz Ponitka, Jordan Loyd and Aleksander Balcerowski drove their team into an early lead, and Israel never truly recovered. Poland finished the first quarter in front and pushed the margin to eight points heading into the second.
The gap widened before halftime as Loyd found his rhythm. Israel, under pressure, trailed 55-42 at the break and struggled to contain Poland’s shooters.
Sorkin, Madar and Tamir Blatt tried to spark a response in the third quarter, but Poland’s depth and accuracy told. Andrzej Pluta and Jarosław Zyskowski knocked down big shots, stretching the lead again and again. Israel did mount a spirited charge in the final period, briefly hinting at an improbable comeback, yet the early deficit was simply too large. Poland closed out a 106-86 win that set the tone for a punishing weekend.
Hard questions ahead
Two heavy defeats, a campaign cut short, and a coach openly frustrated by the lack of continuity. The numbers from Riga tell their own story: defensive lapses, inconsistent offense, and opponents who looked sharper, more settled, more connected.
The message from within the camp is clear – Israel cannot afford to treat any window, any roster decision, as disposable. The next challenge is not just tactical or technical. It is about building a stable core, getting the best players on the floor together, and keeping them there long enough to grow.
The World Cup is gone. The real test now is whether Israeli basketball can turn this painful exit into a starting point rather than another missed opportunity.
