In the Ukrainian national team: a basketball player from ‘Hapoel Jerusalem’ will play against Spain in the World Cup qualifier

The Ukrainian national basketball team announced the roster for key World Cup qualification matches against Spain, and among the players was a representative from an Israeli club. The team’s roster included center “Hapoel Jerusalem” Dmytro Skapintsev, which once again highlighted the sports connections between Ukrainian and Israeli basketball.

The head coach of the national team, Ainars Bagatskis, predominantly relied on legionnaires playing in European championships, forming a highly competitive roster ahead of meetings with one of the strongest opponents in the group.

Ukrainian national team roster: focus on players from Europe and Israel

According to official information from the Basketball Federation of Ukraine, 12 players are registered for the matches against Spain. An interesting detail is that only one basketball player represents the Ukrainian domestic championship, while the others play for foreign clubs.

The final list includes:

• Oleksandr Kovliar — “Buducnost” (Montenegro)

• Ilya Tyrtyshnik — “Katarsano” (Italy)

• Mykhailo Bublik — “Kyiv-Basket” (Ukraine)

• Denys Lukashov — “Rigas Zelli” (Latvia)

• Vitaliy Zotov — “Kapfenberg” (Austria)

• Andriy Voynalovych — “Sabah” (Azerbaijan)

• Vyacheslav Bobrov — “Dynamo” (Romania)

• Ivan Tkachenko — “Zadar” (Croatia)

• Oleksandr Lypovyy — “Rapid” (Romania)

• Daniil Shelist — “Oviedo” (Spain)

• Artem Pustovyi — “Andorra” (Spain)

• Dmytro Skapintsev — “Hapoel Jerusalem” (Israel)

The presence of a player from the Israeli championship makes the upcoming matches particularly noticeable for fans in Israel, where Ukrainian athletes continue to perform successfully in professional leagues.

When the matches against Spain will take place

The World Cup qualification matches will take place on February 27 and March 3. The first game will be held in Riga, where the Ukrainian team will be considered the nominal host.

Spain remains one of the most challenging opponents in European basketball, so the coaching staff opted for players with international experience.

In sports analytics, it is increasingly noted that Ukrainian basketball players are effectively forming a European-level team outside the national championship — a trend regularly recorded by NANews — News from Israel | Nikk.Agency, tracking the participation of Ukrainian athletes in Israeli clubs and international tournaments.

Tournament standings and significance of the matches

After two rounds of qualification, Ukraine and Spain remain undefeated and share the top spot in their group. The group also includes the national teams of Denmark and Georgia.

The selection format provides for the top three teams from each group to advance to the second round of World Cup qualification.

Why these games are considered key

The matches against Spain could determine the leadership distribution in the group even before the middle of the qualification. A victory would significantly enhance Ukraine’s chances for further advancement and secure a position among the favorites of the qualification stage.

For the Ukrainian team, this is not only a sports challenge but also a test of a new team model built around players performing in strong European leagues — including the Israeli basketball system, which remains one of the most competitive in the region.