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Friday, Feb 20, 2026

Day 5 recap: Poland seal U17 World Cup spot; France, Hungary and Kosovo also champions

Day 5 recap: Poland seal U17 World Cup spot; France, Hungary and Kosovo also champions

Four teams celebrated title triumphs on the final day of the FIBA U16 European Challengers with France, Poland, Hungary and Kosovo joining Serbia amongst the winner's circle.
Headlines:


- France win Skopje title with Final triumph
- Poland beat Germany to claim Sofia title, FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup spot
- Serbia finish 5-0 in Novi Sad, Slovenia in second
- Hungary victorious in Sofia 19-25 Final
- Kosovo overcome Luxembourg in Pristina Final


MVP Awards:


Novi Sad MVP: Jan Vide (SLO) - 27.0 PTS / 5.6 REB / 4.2 AST
Pristina MVP: Rron Dahsyla (KOS) - 17.4 PTS / 9.6 REB / 3.4 AST
Skopje MVP: Killian Malwaya (FRA) - 13.4 PTS / 3.8 REB / 2.0 STL
Sofia MVP: Martin Ude Kalu (GER) - 27.0 PTS / 7.5 REB / 2.3 STL
Sofia (19-25) MVP: Luka Alavidze (GEO) - 16.0 PTS / 5.0 REB / 5.6 AST


Day 5 Standout Performers:


Sofia: Szymon Nowicki (POL) - 24 PTS / 11 REB / 4 BLK
Novi Sad: Peter Bandelj (SLO) - 29 PTS / 3 AST / 3 STL
Novi Sad: Ben Avraham Saraf (ISR) - 21 PTS / 8 REB / 5 AST
Sofia (19-25): Ruben Prey (POR) - 19 PTS / 17 REB / 8 BLK
Pristina: Jordan Dowling (MLT) - 12 PTS / 15 REB / 11 STL
Pristina: Rron Dahsyla (KOS) - 30 PTS / 11 REB / 6 STL


Skopje Challenger:


Gameday 5 results: France secured the title in Skopje with a 57-51 triumph in the Final over Lithuania. The unbeaten champions started with a 15-2 first quarter before being pegged back in the second, but they restored control and were able to see out the contest. Earlier, Russia took care of third place with a convincing 94-47 victory over Romania with Vadim Shirinkin leading all scorers with 17 points.

Sofia Challenger:
Group B


10/10 games played


Gameday 5 results: Poland claimed the final spot in qualifying for next year's FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup as they defeated Germany 75-66 to win the Sofia Challenger as Szymon Nowicki finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. Meanwhile, hosts Bulgaria fell to a 72-65 defeat against Latvia, who picked up their first win of the week.

Novi Sad Challenger:
Group C


15/15 games played


Gameday 5 results: Serbia completed a perfect week with a 5-0 record as they fought past Turkey in an 82-68 victory. Slovenia bounced back from their first loss on Friday to finish on a high with a comfortable 86-50 success against Czech Republic with 29 points from Peter Bandelj. Meanwhile, Israel claimed their second win by beating Belgium 98-50 as Ben Avraham Saraf hit six triples in a 21-point haul.

Sofia Challenger (19-25):
Group Z


3/3 games played


Gameday 5 results: Hungary edged out Georgia 75-72 to take the title in Sofia with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists from Balint Szoke. Meanwhile, Portugal defeated Ukraine 62-55 to take third place as Ruben Prey posted 19 points, 17 rebounds and 8 blocks with Slovakia beating Switzerland 77-66 in the 5-7 Classification Round.

Pristina Challenger:
Group F


15/15 games played


Gameday 5 results: Kosovo finished the week in style with a dominant 86-43 triumph over Luxembourg to seal the title in Pristina. Rron Dahsyla fired in 30 points in the win with Dren Kastrati adding 15 points, 10 rebounds and 9 steals. Moldova locked up third with a 67-36 win over Gibraltar, while Malta defeated Albania 62-51 behind a triple-double from Jordan Dowling with 12 points, 15 rebounds and 11 steals and 29 points from Adam Azzopardi.


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