Greece complicates Spain’s World Cup qualification as a young team falls in overtime

Spain fought back from a 12-point deficit but still fell to Greece 108-106 in overtime at Athens’ OAKA arena, leaving its World Cup qualification campaign in difficulty.

The defeat was Spain’s third straight in qualifying for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar. The next windows, scheduled for November and February, will decide the future of a team that is also preparing for a transition toward the Los Angeles Games.

Spain began cautiously after losing to Portugal and struggled to find its rhythm. The introduction of Saint-Supéry, Cárdenas and Aday Mara changed the game, with Mara becoming an early problem for Greece in the paint and helping Spain move ahead.

But Spain’s roles and defensive discipline remained unsettled. Several players have had little time playing with Mara, while none of the point guards established consistent control. Greece exploited those weaknesses, and Konstantinos Mitoglou hit seven of 10 three-point attempts, including four in a decisive stretch.

Greece led by 12 in the final quarter before Spain responded through Cárdenas, Saint-Supéry, Joel Parra and Mara. Mara finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Juancho Hernangómez forced overtime, and Brizuela carried much of Spain’s attack, but Nick Calathes controlled the closing stages while Mitoglou and Tyler Dorsey supplied the decisive shots. Brizuela had a chance to win the game, but missed.