FIBA Europe, the continental arm of the global basketball federation, has named Finland and Lithuania as co-hosts of the Women’s EuroBasket national team competition in 2027.
Both candidacies were approved by the FIBA Europe board on Friday (November 24) and will see the countries stage the tournament for the first time.
Games will take place in the cities of Espoo (Finland), and Klaipeda and Vilnius (Lithuania).
Jorge Garbajosa, FIBA Europe president, said: “Both of these countries are incredibly passionate about basketball and have a proven track record as excellent hosts. It's evident that the women's game is on the rise in Finland and Lithuania and I'm sure the event will add even more positive momentum.”
Finland have played in the continental showpiece event five times in the past, with their most recent appearance coming in 1987, while Lithuania have participated in 11 previous editions, including their title-winning run in 1997.
In addition to announcing Finland and Lithuania as hosts, the FIBA Europe board has decided to re-open the bidding to potentially add one or two additional co-hosts “in order to ensure FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 is hosted under the most favorable conditions.”
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataKamil Novak, FIBA executive director Europe, said: "The bids presented to us by Finland and Lithuania were very strong, with state-of-the-art arenas in Espoo, Klaipeda, and Vilnius, quality hotels in all three cities and all the necessary infrastructure to deliver the event at the top level.
“Following the success of the multi-hosting format in other FIBA competitions and the very positive feedback after the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025 award, we have adopted the same approach for the 2027 event and will be looking to potentially add one or two more hosts to complete the line-up.”
The new hosting format will be implemented for the first time in 2025, with the tournament to take place in the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, and Italy.
The last three FIBA Women's EuroBasket tournaments were organized in two countries, with Israel and Slovenia co-hosting the most recent edition in 2023.
The men’s EuroBasket in 2025 will also be held in four countries after Latvia, Cyprus, Finland, and Poland were named as co-hosts last year.