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The Greek men's national basketball team will face Ukraine and Spain in their upcoming 2027 World Cup qualifiers without their biggest star, Giannis Antetokounmpo. While the official roster is expected to be announced today, it's already confirmed that the newest Miami Heat player will not be included.
Antetokounmpo's absence comes at the request of his NBA team. The Heat want him to travel to the United States earlier to begin a pre-season training program ahead of the new season. This move follows an injury-plagued 2025/2026 campaign, during which the Greek international was limited to just 36 games and was sidelined entirely from mid-March.
The Greek squad will convene for their first practice before their two upcoming matches on August 14th. The Greeks will also play two warm-up games – against Poland on August 22nd and Cyprus on August 24th. Following these friendly encounters, the team will travel to Riga to face Ukraine on August 28th, returning to Athens three days later to host Spain on August 31st.
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