Germany became the first team to secure a Round‑of‑16 berth after a 107–88 win against Lithuania in Tampere. Dennis Schröder led with 26 points and on‑ball tempo control, while Franz Wagner added 24 and seven boards as the defending world champions moved to 3–0. Germany’s pace shifts and decisiveness in semi‑transition repeatedly pulled Lithuania’s defense into difficult help‑and‑recover sequences.
Lithuania found scoring through interior touches and second‑chance opportunities but struggled to stack consecutive stops. Germany’s spacing, combined with quick‑hitting actions for shooters, produced a steady diet of high‑value attempts. Defensively, Germany mixed in pick‑and‑roll coverages that denied rhythm, closing the night with a comfortable cushion and a ticket to Riga’s knockouts already punched.
The early qualification offers roster management benefits with back‑to‑backs looming in the group schedule. For Lithuania, the loss doesn’t preclude a strong finishing kick, but it tightens the math and emphasizes the importance of execution in the final two outings. The game doubled as a stress test of Germany’s title defense credentials—and on this evidence, the structure and star guard play remain firmly in place.
The group phase runs from August 27 to September 4 across Riga (Group A), Tampere (Group B), Limassol (Group C) and Katowice (Group D). The Round of 16 is single-elimination on September 6–7, followed by quarterfinals on September 9–10, semifinals on September 12, and the final on September 14 in Riga. Twenty-four teams play five group games each, with the top four in every group advancing. These dates and the multi-host setup are defined by FIBA for EuroBasket 2025 and shape the tactical choices teams make during the first week.
