Four Celtics players are lacing up their sneakers for high-stakes international basketball this week, competing in the FIBA World Cup qualifier games. The action is kicking off soon, with Amari Williams, Luka Garza, Hugo Gonzalez, and Neemias Queta all set to hit the global stage. This isn’t just some exhibition, either; these matchups will decide which countries earn a spot in the 2027 FIBA World Cup.
International Battlegrounds: Who Plays When
The schedule for these qualifiers is packed. Amari Williams is representing Great Britain, and his team is squaring off against Switzerland on Thursday at 1pm ET. Then, on Friday at 2pm ET, we’ve got Luka Garza stepping up for Bosnia as they face Italy. But the real fireworks? That’s going to be Friday at 3pm ET, when Hugo Gonzalez, playing for Spain, goes head-to-head against his Celtics teammate Neemias Queta, who’s suiting up for Portugal. Talk about bragging rights on the line! This whole qualifying push is huge for the 2027 FIBA World Cup, which is going down in Qatar between August 27 and September 12. A total of 32 teams are going to qualify, with 12 spots coming from FIBA Europe, 7 from FIBA Americas, 7 from FIBA Asia/Oceana, and 5 from FIBA Africa, plus Qatar automatically qualifying as the host.
Garza and Gonzalez Are Already FIBA Standouts
This isn’t the first rodeo for some of these guys, either. Both Hugo Gonzalez and Luka Garza were already tearing it up in qualifying games earlier this summer. Head Coach Joe Mazzulla actually flew out to Spain just to watch Gonzalez play, and it sounds like he was impressed. Mazzulla told CelticsBlog back in July that it was “cool to just watch him play,” sitting with Gonzalez’s family and learning from their coach. He wasn’t even critiquing Gonzalez, just being there for him. In that matchup Mazzulla watched, Gonzalez dropped 16 points, dished out 5 assists, grabbed 5 rebounds, snagged 2 steals, and added a block in just 20 minutes, hitting 4 of 7 three-point attempts. Luka Garza was a straight-up standout for Bosnia in July, too. He put up 16 points and 7 rebounds in a game against Nikola Jokic and Serbia, then erupted for an insane 27 points and 8 rebounds in a loss to Turkey. Both of those big performances came with Garza coming off the bench, showing he’s ready to make an impact. He’ll continue his run representing Bosnia this Friday against Italy.
Queta’s Big Contract and Big Game
And then there’s Neemias Queta, who’s representing Portugal once again. This comes right after he signed a massive 4-year, $56 million extension with the Celtics. You know he’s going to be playing with some extra fire after that kind of commitment from the team. To have a player fresh off a deal like that representing his country, and then going up against a teammate, that’s just electric. These qualifier games are more than just international contests; they are a chance for these players to fine-tune their game and bring that experience back to the Celtics. Make sure you’re tuned in to catch all the action this week as these four aim to push their national teams closer to the 2027 FIBA World Cup.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Celtics Blog.
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