Ariel Beit-Halahmy isn't dwelling on a warm-up defeat. Israel's national basketball coach lost 101-90 to Georgia in a preparation match on Sunday, but he told ONE the result mattered far less than what comes next: Thursday's World Cup qualifier against Poland, which he called "the most important game of the window, and we'll arrive prepared for it."
On the Georgia loss itself, Beit-Halahmy was unbothered. "We ran the things today that we wanted and worked on throughout the week offensively. I think we played well," he said, treating the friendly as exactly that — a chance to test sets rather than a result to obsess over.
His attention has already shifted to Poland, a team Israel knows well from recent meetings and one he expects to test his side physically. "The Poles are a very physical team, we've had quite a few encounters with them in recent years," he said.
The stakes are real. Israel, Poland and Latvia all sit in Group K of the second round of FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifying, alongside Croatia, Germany and the Netherlands, with games played across three windows running from August 2026 to February 2027.
Israel arrives at this window having gone 2-2 in the opening round, while Poland comes in unbeaten, having swept Latvia home and away — 84-82 and then a more emphatic 92-72 — to top their first-round group. Beit-Halahmy's read on a settled, physical Polish core that has played together for years lines up with that form.
Thursday's game against Poland is followed swiftly by a second qualifier, away to Latvia on Sunday, meaning Israel could shape its group standing significantly within a single week.
Beit-Halahmy goes into the window missing a couple of options up front. Forward Ilay Dolinski was released from the squad to start his NCAA career at the University of Tulsa on schedule, while Idan Zalmanson was let go after picking up a quadriceps injury in camp — leaving the coach to finalise his frontcourt rotation in the days before facing Poland.
None of that, in Beit-Halahmy's telling, changes the target. The Georgia friendly was about sharpening execution; Poland is about points that count toward a World Cup spot in 2027.
