The Bulgarian men's national basketball team faces its most important test of the year. On Sunday, July 5 at 19:30, the “Lions“ welcome the Norwegian selection at the packed “Arena Botevgrad“. This Group B match is of key importance, as it will decide which team will secure a direct place in the actual qualifying phase for the 2029 European Championship.
The great return of Sasha Vezenkov
The main trump card for the coach Lyubomir Minchev will be the big star of European basketball – Alexander Vezenkov. The wing returns to the national team after nearly 500 days of absence, provoked by a series of injuries during the previous windows. Vezenkov arrives in the team's camp after an exceptionally strong season with the Greek Olympiacos, where he won the Euroleague and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament. He told the media that he is completely healthy and motivated to give his all for the victory. The national team will not be able to rely on naturalized guard Umoja Gibson, whose documents were not ready in time for the match.
Qualification scores
The Bulgarian team will seek a mandatory rematch in front of their home audience. In February of this year, our boys suffered a defeat in their visit to Honefoss with a score of 67:76. For this reason, in order to displace the Scandinavians from the first place in the group and guarantee a secure passage to next stage, the Bulgarians need a victory with a difference of at least 10 points.
The huge interest of the fans
The clash caused a real furor among the basketball community in our country. The Bulgarian Basketball Federation (BBF) and the official ticket partner Eventim announced under the motto “We play for one flag“ that over 80% of the seats in the Botevgrad hall are already sold out. For supporters who will not be able to attend the stands, the match will be broadcast live on bTV, as well as online on the VOYO video platform, where the special studio starts at 6:30 p.m.
Sources: BNT and bTV