Croatia beats Norway in pre-qualifications for the 2027 World Cup

The Croatian national basketball team convincingly defeated Norway 101:68 (20-21, 31-18, 27-12, 23-17) in Bergen on Wednesday evening, thus opening the pre-qualifications for the 2027 World Cup with a victory.

This was the first win for the team in an official competitive match under the leadership of new head coach Tomislav Mijatović.

Croatia was led by Mario Hezonja who finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Roko Badžim scored 15 points, and Toni Nakić added 13.

Team captain and NBA veteran Dario Šarić had 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Croatia entered this match slowly, falling behind by as much as nine points. However, after the opening quarter, which the home team won 22:21, Croatia showed that they are a class above the Norwegians. Mijatović's team quickly tightened their defense and went on a 13-0 run from the 8th to the 12th minute.

Croatia went into halftime with a 12-point lead (51-39). In the third quarter, the lead grew to 28 points.

Karlo Matković of the New Orleans Pelicans did not play.

A win against Denmark in Opatija on Saturday would secure them a spot in the qualifiers.