Poland Dominates Israel in World Cup Qualifier, Israel's NBA Stars Absent

Israel's national basketball team suffered a heavy 106-86 defeat to Poland on August 27, 2026, in the FIBA World Cup 2027 qualifiers, effectively ending Israel's realistic chances of advancing to the tournament. Poland, meanwhile, moved close to securing their spot. The absence of Israel's top NBA player, Deni Avdija, was widely noted by Polish media as a critical factor in Israel's poor performance.

Polish sports outlets highlighted Israel's struggles, with Sport describing Israel as "finished on their knees" and praising Poland's undefeated run. Sportowefakty emphasized that Israel had no answer to Poland's leader, Ponitka, and that the Polish defense completely neutralized Israeli player Yam Madar, leaving only Roman Sorkin to perform well. Weszlo pointed out that Israel was missing both NBA players, Deni Avdija and Ben Sherf, which contributed to their 20-point loss.

Meczyki noted that despite Israel's efforts to reduce the deficit in the final quarter, they never came close to challenging Poland. The defeat marks a continuation of Israel's disappointing campaign in the qualifiers, while Poland edges closer to qualification under coach Igor Milicic.