The Latvian men's national basketball team is preparing to face Poland in a significant qualifying match for the 2027 World Cup, taking place today in Riga at the Xiaomi Arena. The game is scheduled to start at 19:30 local time and will be broadcast live on LTV7 and Go3 Sport 1. This match marks the first of two crucial encounters between the teams, with a return match slated for March 1 in Poland.

In their previous qualifying matches, Latvia faced a defeat against the Netherlands, scoring 78 points to 86, but managed a strong win against Austria, securing a 89 to 68 victory. On the other hand, Poland has shown impressive performance, winning both of their initial matches against Austria and the Netherlands with scores of 90-78 and 85-83, respectively. Currently, Poland leads Group F with two wins, while Latvia and the Netherlands have one win each, and Austria sits at the bottom with two losses.

The top three teams from Group F will advance to the second round and will merge with the top three teams from Group E, which includes Germany, Croatia, Israel, and Cyprus. The ultimate goal for these teams is to secure one of the three coveted spots in the World Cup finals scheduled to take place in Qatar. Unfortunately for Latvia, they will be without the services of Roland Schmits due to injury, which may impact their performance in this critical matchup.