Spain's U18 girls retain European basketball crown with dominant Stockholm run
Spain's U18 girls basketball team beat France 82:46 in Sunday's final in Stockholm to become the first team ever to win back-to-back European junior titles. Latvia finished the tournament in seventh place.
The European U18 Women's Basketball Championship wrapped up in Stockholm on Sunday, with Spain's young squad making history by defending their continental title for the first time ever. Coached by Íñigo Fernández, the team crushed France 82:46 in the final.
Spain set the tone early, allowing France just seven points in the opening quarter to lead 24:7. By halftime the gap had grown to 25 points (49:24), and the Spaniards closed out the game with a commanding 36-point margin.
Throughout the tournament, Spain remained unbeaten and never won by fewer than 23 points. They routed Croatia 100:25 in the round of 16, dismantled Italy 95:41 in the quarterfinals, and comfortably defeated the tournament's youngest squad, Serbia, 79:56 in the semifinal.
Finland claimed bronze, defeating Serbia 75:52 in the third-place game. Sweden, Hungary and Montenegro were relegated from the elite division, to be replaced next year by Division B's top three finishers — Israel, Romania and Lithuania.
The championship also served as qualification for the FIBA U19 World Cup, to be hosted by China in 2027. Spain, France, Finland, Serbia and Belgium all secured spots, with Belgium claiming the final qualifying berth by beating Poland 66:55 in the fifth-place game.
FIBA Europe president Jorge Garbajosa presented the championship trophy to Spain, while Spanish player Somto Okafor was named tournament MVP and included in the All-Star Five alongside representatives from France, Finland, Croatia and Belgium.
Latvia's team lost to France 57:73 in the quarterfinals, then fell to Poland 56:67 in the placement round, and ultimately finished seventh after losing to Italy 68:82.
