Fiba World Cup 2027 qualifiers: Great Britain claim 90-82 win over Iceland in Group D as Carl Wheatle top scores

Great Britain earned their first win of the 2027 Fiba World Cup qualifiers with a 90-82 victory over Iceland.

GB were beaten on the buzzer in an 89-88 defeat by Lithuania in their Group D opener last Thursday but were much more in control against the Icelanders at the Laugardalsholl in Reykjavik.

The scores had been level at 17-17 at the end of a competitive first quarter between two sides separated by just three places in the Fiba rankings with GB 43rd to Iceland’s 46th.

However, GB seized the initiative and had an 18-point cushion at 69-51 heading into the final quarter.

Iceland reduced the deficit to eight points with one minute 47 seconds left on the clock, but GB held their nerve after a timeout to kill the home side’s hopes of a late fightback.

Carl Wheatle led the way for GB with a game-high 22 points while Myles Hesson and Quinn Ellis chipped in with 17 and 16 respectively.

Martin Hermannsson top scored for Iceland with 18 points while Tryggvi Hlinason collected 17.

All four teams in the group will face each other twice in the first round of the qualifiers before the top three qualify for the next stage.