The Portuguese national basketball squad landed in Riga, Latvia, on Sunday evening. After a long flight from Lisbon, which included a stop in Frankfurt, Germany, the team quickly got to work. They held their first practice session on Monday at the Xiomani Arena. This marked the start of their final preparations for the Eurobasket finals.
Coach Mário Gomes led the team through a focused ninety-minute practice. The session was mostly closed to outsiders. Only the last five minutes allowed members of the press to watch. It was a chance for the media to see the team’s energy firsthand. The Portuguese squad is set to make its Eurobasket debut against the Czech Republic this Wednesday.
Their journey continues with another practice scheduled for Tuesday. This session will also take place at 2:20 PM local time, which is 12:20 PM in Lisbon. Following this final workout before the Czech Republic game, Coach Gomes and team captain Miguel Queiroz will speak to reporters. They will hold the official pre-tournament press conference.
Portugal has been busy getting ready for the tournament. They played six warm-up games. The team showed strong form by beating reigning European champions Spain 76-74 on August 5. They also secured wins against Iceland (83-79 on August 15), Sweden (78-61 on August 16), and the Sporting club team (100-82 on August 21). However, they faced tough losses against Spain B (63-64 on August 7) and Argentina (70-84 on August 10).
The big moment arrives Wednesday. Portugal will face the Czech Republic at 2:45 PM local time, or 12:45 PM in Lisbon. This game is part of Group A in Eurobasket 2025. After this opening challenge, the team will play Serbia on Friday, followed by Turkey on Saturday. They then meet co-hosts Latvia on September 1 and Estonia on September 3. To reach the Round of 16, they need to finish among the top four teams in their group.
This 42nd edition of the European Championship takes place from August 27 to September 14. Games will be played in four different countries. The host cities are Riga in Latvia, Limassol in Cyprus, Tampere in Finland, and Katowice in Poland.