MUNICH (Germany) – Quick quiz question for the basketball fans out there: who is the hottest team in the world right now?
The number one team in the FIBA world rankings presented by Nike, the United States? No.
The newly crowned champions of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Germany? Try again.
The reigning FIBA Eurobasket champion in Spain? Wrong again.
No, the hottest team in the world right now is Latvia – yes, the tiny nation of 1.88 million people in northern Europe that is ranked No. 8 in the world.
Since then, like first reported by sportacentrsLatvia recorded 23 wins in 26 matches – including the first two matches in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. The only other country to have won 80% of their official FIBA matches in the same period is Australia.
“I don’t count,” Bunchy commented. “I’m not attracted by those numbers. I know we have to win the next game. We still have the same approach from the beginning. We still want to keep the humility and the desire to prove that we deserve this level and that we belong at this level.” .
# | COUNTRY |
VICTORY | losses | WIN RATE |
1. |
23 | 3 | 88.5 | |
2. |
27 | 4 | 87.1 | |
3. |
31 | 8 | 79.5 | |
4. |
23 | 7 | 76.7 | |
5. |
25 | 8 | 75.8 |
Latvia started the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers with two wins as they beat Spain 79-75 at home and eventually pulled away from Slovakia late for a 64-52 home win.
And Latvia not even need to win the qualifiers as they have already secured a place at next summer’s major tournament as one of the four co-hosts.
“We are reaching the best level ever for Latvian basketball,” said coach Luca Banchi. “We’re really proud of that. But we’re still keeping the same mindset, the same approach, and we’re keeping the engine going. That’s our secret.”
And, the Latvia-Banchi relationship was golden from the start.
Latvian basketball was questioning itself in February 2021 after failing to qualify for FIBA EuroBasket 2022 – the first time they missed the continental competition since 1999. A month later, they hired Banki as their new coach.
In their first games under Banki, Latvia posted a 4-0 record in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup European Qualifiers. They then went 11-1 in the European Qualifiers – including 11 straight wins to reach their first World Cup.
Making their debut on the world stage, Banky’s men shocked France, Spain and Brazil to get through both groups in Jakarta.
Latvia then missed a Davies Bertans hat-trick from finishing champions Germany in the Quarter-Finals in Manila, before coming back strongly to beat Italy and Lithuania for fifth place in their first World Cup appearance.
And Latvia returned home as heroes.
What was impressive is all the “big nations” that Latvia beat along the way. Before taking down these giants at the FIBA World Cup, Latvia beat Serbia once in the qualifiers, while also picking up two wins over Greece, Turkey, Belgium and Great Britain.
Banki said that his team really lives on the passion of the fans: “We have to refill our tank with the enthusiasm of our fans, with the desire of the players to participate.”
Banky and his team know they want to build on the momentum from the FIBA World Cup. But he also said it’s a new chapter they’re starting.
“It was very important for us to approach this new chapter with these kinds of performances. The teams are very well prepared. They approach the Latvian team in a very different way.
“We overcame the problems we had through a very good team performance. We stayed calm and showed everyone that we are ready to fight when the game gets tough and tight. And that’s a good message for us.”
Banki’s side gave the fans at Arena Riga a display of determination and desire and something to look forward to next summer when they welcome the continent to Latvia.
Who knows if Latvia will still be the hottest team in the world by then. But it is now.
FIBA