2027 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Great Britain beat Iceland 90-82 in Group D as Carl Whittle’s top scorer
Great Britain picked up their first win in qualifying for the 2027 Fiba World Cup with a 90-82 victory over Iceland.
GB took won at the buzzer in an 89-88 loss by Lithuania in their Group D opener last Thursday, but they were much more in control against the Icelanders at Laugardalsholl in Reykjavik.
The scores were tied at 17-17 at the end of a competitive first quarter between the two sides who were separated by just three places in the Phoebe rankings with GB 43rd to Iceland 46th.
However, GB took the initiative and had 18 points at 69-51 in the final quarter.
Iceland cut the deficit to eight points with one minute and 47 seconds remaining, but GB held their nerve after a time-out to kill the home side’s hopes of a late comeback.
Carl Whittle led the way for GB with 22 points, while Myles Hesson and Quinn Ellis scored 17 and 16 points, respectively.
Martin Hermanson scored the best for Iceland with 18 points, while Trygvi Hlinason collected 17 points.
All four teams in the group will meet twice in the first round of qualifying before the top three advance to the next stage.
2025-11-30 18:59:00
