Center Neemias Queta expressed confidence today regarding the Portuguese national basketball team’s chances of achieving a historic qualification for the 2027 World Cup, anticipating that “someday there will be a first time.”
“As with anything, there is always a first time. I think that, most of the time, it’s not a question of wondering if we can aim for it; it’s about working towards it, and when things happen, they happen. Someday, there has to be a first time for Portugal to go to the World Cup; let’s hope it’s in 2027,” said the 27-year-old player during the official press conference for the third edition of the Neemias Queta Training Camp in Paço de Arcos.
Neemias Queta is set to begin his fourth season with the Boston Celtics in the NBA; he recently signed a contract extension with the team worth $56 million over four years.
The Portuguese center—like the rest of the national team—promises to work toward this goal, which would mark a historic moment for Portuguese basketball, starting with strong performances against Spain and Georgia in matches scheduled for August 28 and 31.
“They are very competitive teams, but we’re going to fight, as always. It doesn’t matter who is on the other side—we aren’t going out there to lose; it’s up to us to win. It will be the same here: we’ll approach every game with the mindset of winning, and from there, we have everything we need to compete with anyone,” asserted the Portuguese center, who is preparing for his sixth NBA season.
Portugal will visit Spain on August 28 for the first game of the second qualifying round for the 2027 World Cup, and will then host Georgia in Matosinhos on August 31. In the battle for a spot at the upcoming World Cup, results from the first qualifying round—from which Portugal advanced—carry over to the next stage; consequently, the Portuguese team sits in fourth place in Group I with nine points—level with Greece and Georgia—while Spain leads with 11 points, and Ukraine and Montenegro have 10.
The top three teams from each of the four European qualifying groups will qualify for the World Cup, which is set to take place in Qatar from August 27 to September 12, 2027.
