A player from Jerusalem’s ‘Hapoel’ has been called up to the Ukrainian national team: Dmytro Skapintsev will play in the 2027 World Cup qualifiers

The Ukrainian basketball team approaches the decisive stretch of the first round of the 2027 World Cup qualification with an important Israeli detail in its lineup. The national team’s roster includes center Dmytro Skapintsev, who spent the season with Hapoel Jerusalem and represents one of the most prominent basketball clubs in Israel.

For the Israeli audience, this is not just a sports line in the protocol. Against the backdrop of war, a complex international agenda, and the constant search for points of connection between Israel and Ukraine, sports once again show what often remains beyond politics: Ukrainian players continue to play in Israeli clubs and then return to the national team to defend their country’s colors.

Ukraine closes the first round of selection

The Ukrainian national team is holding the third game window of the 2027 World Cup qualification. Ainars Bagatskis’ team will host Georgia in Riga on July 2, 2026, and play away against Denmark on July 5. These two matches should conclude the first qualifying round.

The tournament situation for Ukraine looks tense but manageable. The team needs to win one of the two matches to secure a place in the second stage of qualification. There is also a backup scenario: Ukraine can advance if Denmark does not win twice, including a victory over the Ukrainians by at least 18 points.

But Ukraine’s task is broader than just advancing to the next round. The results of the matches carry over, meaning every victory, every point, and even the score difference can matter at the end of the selection.

That’s why Skapintsev’s call-up is important not only symbolically. Ukraine is experiencing serious personnel problems in the front line, and the center position has become one of the most vulnerable in the current lineup.

NANews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency follows such stories precisely because they intersect sports, Ukrainian identity, the Israeli club scene, and the real human connection between the two countries.

Why the match against Georgia is especially important

The main intrigue of the window is Ukraine’s game against Georgia. In November last year, the Ukrainians already defeated the Georgian team away with a score of 92:79, thus gaining a 13-point advantage in head-to-head meetings. Now it’s important not only to fight for victory but also not to lose this strategic advantage.

Georgia approaches the July match with significant reinforcements. The opponent’s lineup includes Goga Bitadze from the NBA, experienced Tornike Shengelia, and naturalized American Marquis Reed. For Ukrainian centers, this will be a tough test, especially considering that several front-line players of the Ukrainian team are absent.

Sport.ua specifically notes that the ‘fifth position’ in July will be covered by Maksym Klychko and Dmytro Skapintsev. However, it will be especially challenging for them against the powerful Georgian big men.

For Skapintsev, this is a chance to show that the experience of the Israeli championship, games for Hapoel Jerusalem, and previous career stages can be useful to the national team at a time when it needs not only talent but also physical resilience under the basket.

From Jerusalem to the Ukrainian national team

The Ukrainian lineup for this window includes players from the NBA, European championships, NCAA, Ukrainian clubs, and the Israeli league. The most prominent name is Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk from the Utah Jazz, who returned to the national team after a break since September 2022. But alongside him, Skapintsev also holds an important place — a representative of Hapoel Jerusalem.

The Israeli club’s trace in the Ukrainian national team is also important because Hapoel Jerusalem remains one of the recognizable brands of Israeli basketball. For a Ukrainian player, such a club means constant competition, result pressure, a European calendar, and life in a country where sports often exist alongside major politics and security issues.

Skapintsev is not an ‘Israeli player’ by citizenship — he is Ukrainian. But for the Israeli audience, his call-up to the Ukrainian national team sounds like the story of a player from an Israeli club who steps onto the international stage as part of Ukraine’s national team.

About Dmytro Skapintsev

Dmytro Skapintsev is a Ukrainian center, born on May 12, 1998, in Cherkasy. According to the Israeli basketball league, he plays for Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem, holds Ukrainian citizenship, plays as a center, and his height is listed as 2.16 m.

His career began in Ukrainian basketball. Skapintsev played for Cherkaski Mavpy, then for Kyiv-Basket, and continued his career abroad. His biography includes experience in the NBA system: he played for the Westchester Knicks, was associated with the New York Knicks, played in the G League, and then ended up in the Israeli Hapoel Jerusalem.

EuroCup in the player’s profile indicates that Skapintsev won the Israeli SuperCup 2025 with Hapoel Jerusalem and was also the winner of the G League Showcase Cup 2023 with the Westchester Knicks. It also notes that he is a player of the Ukrainian national team and participated in EuroBasket 2022.

For Ukraine, he is primarily important as a tall player in the front line. This is especially noticeable now: the national team approaches matches without several basketball players who could cover positions under the basket. Therefore, Skapintsev’s role may turn out to be more than just a few minutes of rotation.

In Israel, he represents a club from Jerusalem, and in the national team — Ukrainian basketball. This is what makes his figure interesting for readers in Israel: Skapintsev is at the intersection of two sports spaces that rarely become the central theme of news but are constantly connected through players, clubs, tournaments, and personal careers.

What this means for Israel and Ukraine

Skapintsev’s call-up to the Ukrainian national team is a small but indicative story. It reminds us that Ukrainian sports continue to live, play, and fight for international goals even during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli basketball remains part of the European sports system, through which players from different countries, including Ukraine, pass.

For Hapoel Jerusalem, this is also an additional sign of status: a club player is called up to the national team for important World Cup qualification matches. For Ukrainian fans in Israel, it’s a reason to follow the qualification more closely.

Ukraine will play against Georgia on July 2 in Riga and against Denmark on July 5 away. For the team, it’s a chance to take the next step towards the 2027 World Cup, and for Skapintsev, it’s an opportunity to confirm that the season in Jerusalem has become part of his path back to an important role in the national team.