Can Sweden reach FIBA Basketball World Cup for first time after historic comeback?

Their 77-88 defeat to Estonia meant that they were rock bottom of their group and would need a miracle if they were to advance to the second round of qualifying.

"We need to calmly analyse what it was that got us into this hole, apart from the work effort; we need to see if we can make any tactical changes," coach Mikko Riipinen told SBL Herr after their third straight loss.

Five months later, and Sweden are certainly out of that pit as they overcame Slovenia to win all three window three games and advance to the second round of qualifying on points difference.

Do they have what it takes to reach the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time in their history? DAZN News looks back at how they got here and what they must do to reach Qatar 2027.

The second round of qualifying resumes on August 24 and all matches are available to stream live or on demand via Courtside 1891 on DAZN.

Sweden come back from brink to advance in FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers

Riipinen would need his team to find form and rely on others to falter to have any chance of advancing to the second round of qualifying, and Sweden's coach got the best of both.

After two statement victories over Estonia and the Czech Republic, Sweden simply had to beat Slovenia, a side ranked 26 places above them, to keep their thin hopes alive.

Blågult began the contest strongly, going up 30-24 in the first quarter, but the turning point of the match came in the critical second quarter.

With just over a minute and a half remaining, Miha Cerkvenik tied the game for Slovenia at 45-45 by knocking down a three-pointer, but then came the key moment.

Fourteen seconds later, Pelle Larsson put his country back in the lead by converting the second of two free throws to make the score 45-46 for Sweden.

Riipinen's men grabbed the match by the scruff of the neck in the third and saw out a comfortable victory, and now they are one step closer to their premier World Cup appearance.

"We're on a long journey to build Swedish basketball," said Riipinen via FIBA.

"We took some steps forward before the FIBA EuroBasket; we're trying to put some young players into the group, making our player pool bigger and bigger. I'm really proud of the Federation; they helped us and put us in a good situation to perform."

What stands in Sweden's way?

Having advanced to the second round of European qualifying, Sweden have been grouped alongside France, Finland, Estonia, Slovenia and Hungary in Group L.

All of the points from the first round of qualifying carry over, meaning that Riipinen's side will enter window four in fourth place on nine points.

The Swedes will play table-toppers France, Finland and Hungary home and away over the next two windows, and if they finish in the top three, then they will be among the 12 European qualifiers to advance to the 2027 World Cup.

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How can I watch FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers?

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