Portugal’s national basketball team is aiming high for the upcoming European Championship. Point guard Rafael Lisboa recently told the Lusa news agency about the team’s clear goal. They want to move past the group stage. The EuroBasket tournament kicks off in just ten days.
This ambition isn’t new for the Portuguese squad. Lisboa, 25, who joined Spanish club Ourense Baloncesto for the 2024/25 season, explained the team’s mindset. He said the goal has been firmly set since they qualified for the final phase. This marks Portugal’s fourth appearance in the tournament, after competing in 1951, 2007, and 2011.
“As a group, right from the moment we qualified, we decided we wanted to reach the knockout stages,” Lisboa told Lusa. He noted that people are now starting to believe in their chances. This belief comes from the strong preparation the team has put in. “But for us, this drive and desire to reach the next phase is nothing new,” he added.
According to Lisboa, the national team has always been ambitious. He shared a saying from head coach Mário Gomes. “Coach often says, and it’s totally true: whenever we go into a qualifier, or a European Championship, or anything else, we have goals,” Lisboa explained. “And our main goal is to qualify.”
“We’ve been working towards this since day one,” he continued. “For us, as a group, our good preparation isn’t a surprise. But certainly, there are still things to improve and fine-tune. We need to be at full strength on August 27th.”
The team’s preparation included five high-level games. Three matches were played in Spain. Portugal impressively beat European champion Spain 76-74. They had losses against Spain B (63-64) and Argentina (70-84). The final two games were played at home in Braga. There, they secured wins against Iceland (83-79) on Friday and Sweden (78-61) on Saturday.
Lisboa stressed the importance of winning during preparation. “Winning while preparing is always better than preparing by losing,” he stated. “We go into every game, whether it’s competitive or not, to win. That’s this team’s DNA.” He added that even in training, players compete fiercely against each other. “Working on wins always gives us more confidence,” he concluded.
Portugal put in two strong performances in Braga. This continued the good work they had started in Spain. Lisboa reflected on their Spanish tour. “Our first game was very good, against Spain,” he said. “We also had a very good first half against Spain B.” However, the match against Argentina and the second half against Spain B weren’t as strong.
“But basketball is like that,” the Portuguese international pointed out to Lusa. “Progress isn’t always a straight line up. Sometimes we have highs and lows.” He said the team showed their ability to bounce back in the recent games. “We proved against Iceland and Sweden that we are a team that wants to win games,” he emphasized. “We will fight for qualification in the European Championship.”
In the game against Sweden, Lisboa was a standout player. It was his 45th game for the senior national team. He scored 14 points, dished out seven assists, and grabbed three rebounds in 23 minutes and 19 seconds. Portugal also had a positive point difference of 19 when he was on the court. He was the best in this area.
The team still has “one more week of preparation,” Lisboa noted. This time is for “fine-tuning the last details before the European Championship.” He highlighted the most important factor. “The most important thing is to have everyone 100% physically ready for the EuroBasket,” he stated.
“It will be a week of hard work and training,” Lisboa affirmed. “We’ll analyze our games to fix any mistakes.” The team also has another practice game against Sporting on Thursday in Sines. “That’s another training session for us to get better,” he added. “We’ll approach this week just like we’ve approached all the other preparation weeks so far.”
The EuroBasket debut in Riga is fast approaching. Portugal will face the Czech Republic in their first Group A match. Only ten days remain until that crucial game. Rafael Lisboa fully understands its importance.
“We don’t shy away from responsibility,” he said firmly. “The first game is fundamental. If we win it, we’ll be in the fight until the very end.” He warned that a loss would put them in a more vulnerable spot. “So, we are aware of the demands, the pressure, and the responsibility,” he concluded. “We will be ready to give our best and win that game.”
Portugal is in Group A for Eurobasket2025. They will play in Riga. Their opponents include Serbia, co-host Latvia, the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Estonia. Their opening game is on August 27th against the Czechs.
Mário Gomes’s squad will then play Serbia on August 29th. They face Turkey on August 30th. Their game against Latvia is on September 1st, and they close out the group stage against Estonia on September 3rd. The team needs to finish in the top four to advance to the knockout rounds.
The 2025 European Championship is the 42nd edition of the event. It will be held across Latvia, Cyprus, Finland, and Poland. The tournament runs from August 27th to September 14th.