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Slovenia clinched their third U20 European Championship title on Sunday, July 19, by dominating Serbia 84-65 in the final held in Ljubljana. Twenty-two years after their last title in the category, in 2004, the hosts completed a perfect run of seven wins in as many games in front of their home crowd at the Arena Stožice.
Carried by a packed arena on their side, the Slovenians gradually took control before breaking the Serbs in the second half. Vit Hrabar finished as the game's top scorer with 18 points, in a remarkable team performance where five Slovenian players crossed the ten-point mark. The contrast with the Serbian semifinal, where Serbia had impressed against Spain, was striking.
Carried by a packed arena on their side, the Slovenians gradually took control before breaking the Serbs in the second half.
A golden generation around Mark Padjen
Point guard Mark Padjen was named tournament MVP after averaging 15.7 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.7 rebounds over the entire competition. In the final, he delivered a steady and efficient performance with 14 points and 6 assists, confirming his status as the conductor of a Slovenian team that was in control from start to finish of the fortnight.
Padjen, who has already earned caps with the Slovenian senior team in international qualifiers, was named to the tournament's All-Star Five alongside his teammate Urban Kroflic. Serbia's Nikola Džepina, Spain's Raul Villar, and France's Mohamed Diakite complete this All-Star Five honoring the most outstanding individuals of the 2026 edition.
The future Murray State player in the United States embodies a Slovenian generation that recalls, in proportion, the momentum generated in the early 2000s. In 2004, Slovenia already won their second consecutive U20 title, heralding the emergence of talents like Goran Dragić, who would become the face of Slovenian basketball for nearly two decades. The parallel is not forced: like their predecessors, these young Slovenians managed to elevate their level of play throughout the tournament to peak on the day of the final.
Spain takes bronze, France misses the podium
In the third-place game played on Saturday, Spain edged out France 65-54, securing their first medal in the competition since their 2022 title. La Roja, led by Raul Villar, who was named to the tournament's starting five, built their victory on a stifling defense that limited the French youngsters to 54 points, their lowest total of the tournament.
Carles Marco's men thus erase three consecutive editions without a podium and validate the bet of a rebuild around the 2006 generation. On the French side, the performance of Mohamed Diakite, despite being named to the All-Star Five, was not enough to overturn a Spanish team that was more assertive in key moments.
Promoted and relegated teams from Division B
In Division B, Iceland, Ukraine, and Sweden secured promotion and will compete in Division A next summer. These three nations replace the Czech Republic, Belgium, and Romania, which were relegated after finishing in the bottom three spots.
The Ukrainian run is particularly notable: relegated to Division B a year ago, Ukraine immediately bounced back to secure their ticket back to the European U20 basketball elite.
Serbia will have to wait
As losing finalists, Serbia leaves Ljubljana with the silver medal but also with the frustration of missing their mark at the worst possible time. Dominant during the early phase of the tournament, the Serbs were caught in the Slovenian defensive trap without ever finding an answer.
The Serbian head coach will have to deal with this disappointment. The talent pool remains impressive nonetheless: Nikola Džepina, named to the All-Star Five, is the most striking proof. This generation will have other opportunities to shine as early as summer 2027, and the Serbian basketball pipeline continues to produce elite players at a rate few European nations can match.