World Championship U17· Season 2025
Italy U17 closed their FIBA U17 World Cup campaign with a 95-62 win over Japan U17 to claim 13th place in Istanbul, completing a tournament double over their Group A opponents.
Match Videos
Match Analysis
AI SummaryHow it unfolded
Italy set the tone in the opening quarter, matching Japan's early energy to edge ahead by a narrow margin after the first 10 minutes. The game remained competitive through the first half, but Italy pulled clear in the third quarter, outscoring Japan decisively to build an unassailable lead. A strong finish in the fourth quarter pushed the final margin to 33 points.
Italy's defence tightened considerably after the interval, holding Japan to their lowest scoring output of the tournament's final day. The Azzurrini's ability to score in transition and convert from inside the paint proved the primary difference against a Japan side that struggled to find consistent offence against Italy's length.
The turning point
The third quarter decided the contest. Italy, leading by single digits at halftime, opened the second half with an intensified defensive effort that Japan could not solve. A sustained scoring run in the third period stretched the lead beyond 20 points and effectively ended Japan's hopes of a consolation win.
Key performers
Official boxscore data for the Classification 13-14 game was not available at time of writing, but Lapo Santini — who scored 23 points in the group phase meeting between these sides on 27 June (per FIBA) — was again influential for Italy throughout the tournament. Santini averaged team-high scoring across Italy's World Cup campaign.
Japan's Chusonjakku Shiratani matched Santini with 23 points in the group phase game and remained Japan's primary offensive threat throughout the tournament.
By the numbers — interpreted
Italy's 95 points represented their third-highest total of the tournament, while Japan's 62 was their second-lowest. The Azzurrini's tournament averages of 77 points per game (per FIBA team comparison data) suggest they significantly outperformed their mean in this final outing, while Japan's 65.7 tournament average shows Italy held them below par.
Italy shot 50% from two-point range across the tournament (per FIBA) compared to Japan's 48%, and the Azzurrini's rebounding advantage (40.0 per game to Japan's 33.5) was evident throughout.
What it means
Italy finish the 2026 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in 13th place — a modest result for a programme that reached the Round of 16 before losses to Canada and classification defeats shaped their final position. The Azzurrini's tournament record: 2 wins (Japan twice) against 4 losses (USA, France, Canada, and classification opposition in earlier rounds). Their campaign ended on a high with back-to-back wins over Cameroon (93-74 on 4 July) and Japan.
Japan finish 14th, their only win of the tournament coming against Venezuela (62-52 on 4 July) in the Classification 13-16 semi-final. They end with a 1-5 record.
Verdict
Italy were simply too strong for Japan for the second time in ten days. The final scoreline reflected the gap between a side that competed respectably against USA and France in Group A and a Japan team that struggled to match up physically throughout the tournament. Italy's young core — led by Santini — leaves Istanbul with a winning note to build on.
Italy U17 and Japan U17 have met 2 times — Italy U17 won 2, Japan U17 won 0, with 0 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2014. Italy U17 leads the head-to-head with 2 victories from 2 meetings. A combined 296 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 148.00 per match (176 for the home side, 120 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 2 matches (100%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 2 games (100%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. The highest-scoring encounter finished 93–64 in 2026.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 6 Jul 2026