Italy vs Turkey FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027

Almost twenty years after their last appearance in the capital (on 30 August 2007, in a friendly against Greece), the senior men’s Italian national basketball team returns to Rome to play their third match of the second qualifying round for the 2027 FIBA World Cup.

On Thursday 26 November 2026, at 8.00 pm, the Azzurri will take to the court at the Palazzo dello Sport in the EUR district to face Turkey, coached by Ergin Ataman – one of Europe’s strongest teams, which has already qualified for the World Cup but is keen to continue its winning streak of eight victories in eight matches. For Italy, this is a crucial fixture on the road to the World Cup, with the Azzurri still very much in contention to secure their place.

The match also marks one of the most symbolically significant moments of the year for Italian basketball. In 2026, the men’s national team will celebrate the centenary of its first official match: on 4 April 1926, in Milan, Italy beat France 23–17 in the very first match of its history. A century on, the Azzurri continue to write new chapters in their sporting history. Making the evening at the Palazzo dello Sport even more special will be the presence of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, who will be attending the match.