This was the team's second win in qualifying.

Star forward and former NBA G-League player Henri Drell (Joventut Badalona) contributed 23 points for Estonia.

Before the game:

Estonia went into Friday's game in Stockholm in third place in their World Cup qualifying group, with 3 points from their first two games.

After winning 94-93 against Slovenia in dramatic fashion in November, Estonia then went down 92-97 to Czechia on December 1.

Sweden began their campaign with two defeats.

The match:

Friday's match was covered live by ERR's channels.

After a 22–22 opening quarter tie, Estonia began the second period in Stockholm with a 17–2 run (bridging the first quarter) to lead 34–24. Point guard Kristian Kullamäe (Lietkabelis Panevėžys) hit two three-pointers, Drell anchored the defense, and guard Kasper Suurorg (Trefl Sopot) rebounded from a shaky start to orchestrate the offense.

Midway through the second quarter, Sweden trimmed the deficit to five several times, but Suurorg's points and free throws from power forward Kregor Hermet (JDA Dijon Basket) and forward Karl Johan Lips pushed the lead back to 46–36 at halftime. Suurorg had nine first-half points, Drell added eight, and three players scored six each.

The second half opened poorly for Estonia as Sweden went on a 10–0 run in four minutes to tie the game, and Matthias Tass injured his ankle and did not return. Melwin Pantzar (Bilbao Basket) then pushed the hosts' lead to six by quarter's end, but Estonia closed with five late points, and early in the final period Drell and small forward Kaspar Treier (Napoli Basket) hit from long range to seize a 63–58 lead.

Midway through the final quarter, Estonia — led by an especially effective Drell — held the home side to one point in nearly four minutes, and baskets from Drell and small forward Janari Jõesaar (Bosna) maintained the lead. At the buzzer, Estonia had secured an 88–77 win.

The analysis:

Estonia made nine of 25 three-pointers and were led by Drell with 23 points (7/12 FG, 7/8 FT). Treier and Kullamäe scored 13 each, Jõesaar had 10, Suurorg added nine points and five assists, and Artur Konontšuk (Bursaspor Basketbol) posted nine points and six rebounds.

Head coach Heiko Rannula noted after the game that he had to be satisfied with the victory, but that he would also take lessons from Stockholm. "We messed up a bit at the beginning of the game with the pick and roll [cover-to-cover] plan. We reacted, things worked, the start of the third quarter was below expectations. We were not ready for the opponent to come into the game physically and we cannot allow ourselves to do something like that again," Rannula told ERR.

"Overall, we played a decent game, especially on defense, except for the beginning of the game. The defense was okay, we knew that they would score some individual baskets. I think we need to be even smarter as a team. On offense, it's a bit like Estonian rolling: you try, then you try. We need to be a bit more determined and play those ends more courageously. There aren't any miracle moves there."

One negative out come was when key player Matthias Tass, who also plays for Legia Warsaw under Rannula, injured his ankle and had to leave the court.. "It's a very painful question. He's going to have an MRI tomorrow. He sprained his ankle again, it's very unfortunate, but what can we do. Let's take a look at the MRI, then we'll see," Rannula added.

What's next:

After Friday's game, the two sides will meet again in Tallinn on Sunday, March 1.

Estonia will finish their qualifying campaign in July with a home game against Slovenia, followed by a trip to Czechia.

The next FIBA Basketball World Cup takes place in 2027 in Qatar.

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