Unforgettable moments and top-level basketball were the highlights of Thursday’s first day of Group C at FIBA EuroBasket 2025, held at the Spyros Kyprianou Sports Center in Limassol on Thursday.

Six national teams provided fans with unique experiences, with Cyprus making history in its debut at the European Championship, albeit getting defeated by Bosnia Herzegovina.

Georgia’s national team sent a message that they have not come to Cyprus for vacation and that their main goal is to continue their journey in Riga for the knockout stage. This came after they defeated the reigning champion Spain 83-69 on Thursday afternoon, in the opening game of Group C at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025.

Aleksandar Djikic’s team recorded a significant victory against the 2022 European champion. The first basket of the tournament was scored by Dunda Sanadze, familiar to the Cypriot audience from his time at Anorthosis (2022–2023). Georgia was cheered loudly by the hundreds of compatriots in the stands.

On the other hand, Spain showed that it is in a transition phase, following the departure of key figures from the previous “golden generation”.

A historic moment for Cyprus followed with its first participation in the final phase of the EuroBasket. The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, and the President of the House of Representatives, Annita Demetriou, attended, marking the significance of the evening with their presence.

The national team faced Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Ioannis Pasiadis making history by scoring Cyprus’ first basket in EuroBasket. Despite the defeat, Coach Christoforos Livadiotis’ team was excellent, especially in the third quarter (23–11). The top scorer was Konstantinos Simitzis with 22 points, while for Bosnia, NBA player Yusuff Norkic was the top performer.

The first day concluded with the big Greece-Italy game, where a packed Spyros Kyprianou Arena with 7,000 mostly Greek fans saw the NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo dominate with 31 points. Under the watchful eye of his Milwaukee Bucks coach, Mike Budenholzer, who was in Limassol, the Greek superstar energised the crowd with stunning dunks and powerful defence, leading the “official favorite” to an important victory over the always formidable Italy. The contributions of Kostas Sloukas, Dinos Mitoglou, and Vassilis Toliopoulos were also significant, as Greece sent a strong message for the road ahead and the game ended 75-66 in Greece’s favour.

The passionate presence of the fans provided the perfect ending to a historic day for Cypriot basketball and proved that Cyprus can compete successfully in such a tournament.

The second round of FIBA Eurobasket Group C will take place on Saturday, 30th August.