Lithuania has announced a preliminary roster for the upcoming World Cup qualifying window in August, which notably excludes several of the team's stars.
The most prominent absences include Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings), Matas Buzelis (Chicago Bulls), Kasparas Jakucionis (Milwaukee Bucks), and Jonas Valanciunas (Zalgiris Kaunas).
The list of missing players also includes Rokas Jokubaitis (Bayern), Tadas Sedekerskis (Baskonia), Arnas Butkevicius (Zalgiris), Laurynas Birutis (Casademont Zaragoza), Ignas Sargiunas (Fenerbahce), Arnas Velicka (Brisbane Bullets), Arturas Gudaitis (Rytas Vilnius), Ignas Brazdeikis (Unicaja Malaga), and Deividas Sirvydis (Zalgiris).
Compared to the roster from July's window, 8 players won't be returning in August: Valanciunas, Buzelis, Jakucionis, Brazdeikis, Sargiunas, Velicka Margiris Normantas, and Donatas Tarolis.
Azuolas Tubelis and Marek Blazevic (both Zalgiris Kaunas) are the only two EuroLeague players on the roster.
Lithuania faces crucial matchups this window as it seeks to keep its World Cup qualification hopes alive.
On August 28, Rimas Kurtinaitis' squad will face Turkey in an away game, followed by a home game against Bosnia and Herzegovina on August 31.
Despite playing in a relatively favorable group in the First Round, Lithuania finished with a 3-3 record, a result that significantly complicates their path to the tournament.
Lithuania currently sits in fourth place and will face Turkiye, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina twice during the Second Round. Only the top three teams will qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.
Full Lithuania's preliminary roster
Player
Kristupas Zemaitis
Augustas Marciulionis
Matas Jogela
Paulius Valinskas
Laurynas Beliauskas
Karolis Lukosiunas
Gytis Radzevicius
Justas Furmanavicius
Azuolas Tubelis
Mindaugas Kacinas
Osvaldas Olisevicius
Regimantas Miniotas
Marekas Blazevicius
Donatas Motiejunas