Ireland’s senior women will play Malta, Norway and Andorra in Pool A of the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries, after the draw was made on Wednesday. The tournament takes place in Nicosia, Cyprus from July 20th- 25th and Ireland’s opening fixture will be against Pool A top seeds Malta on July 20th.
Head coach James Weldon said: “The draw this afternoon sees Norway and Malta in our group, both are teams that contested the bronze medal game in 2018, so they are a formidable challenge. The team are really building together at the moment and we will continue with our preparation for the European Championships in Cyprus In July. We're all delighted to be working towards something and there is real determination amongst the players at the moment. They have serious ambitions for this Championship.”
Ireland’s second game will see them face Andorra on July 21st, concluding the pool stage against Norway on July 22nd. Ireland will be seeking redemption against Norway, having lost to them at the pool stage at the last FIBA European Championship for Small Countries in Cork in 2018.
Pool B comprises of Luxembourg, Cyprus, Gibraltar and Kosovo. The competition is played in a round-robin format, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the semi-finals on July 24th, with a final and third-place playoff being played a day later, along with the tournaments other classification games.
On Tuesday Ireland’s senior men found out their fixtures for the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries, which will take place in Dublin. The tournament hosts will face Andorra in their opening game at the National Basketball Arena on August 10th. Ireland’s schedule sees them take on San Marino on August 12th, followed by Gibraltar on August 14th and concluding against Malta on August 15th. The five-team tournament isn’t a round robin, with the side finishing top of the table declared champions.
