Switzerland fell 100-82 to Iceland in a pre-qualifying match for Euro 2029 played in a suburb of Reykjavik, RTS reported.
The defeat arrived just days after Stéphane Leite’s team secured an emphatic victory against Azerbaijan on Wednesday. Facing a much stronger opponent on Icelandic soil, the Swiss side struggled immediately and could not recover from a slow start.
Iceland surged to a 14-1 lead by the fourth minute, establishing control early in the contest. Although the opening quarter ended with the hosts ahead 25-19, Switzerland faced an uphill battle for the remainder of the evening.
A brief second-quarter surge saw the Swiss cut the deficit to just two points at 27-25 in the 21st minute. However, Iceland immediately responded with a 10-0 run that halted any hopes of a comeback.
Stéphane Leite said that the team’s inconsistency forced difficult shot selections under pressure as the deficit grew. Despite the offensive struggles, several individual performances kept Switzerland competitive on the floor.
Evita Herminjard anchored the backcourt effort by contributing 26 points and 9 assists. Inside the paint, center Lana Wenger delivered a dominant rebounding performance, collecting 19 points and grabbing 20 rebounds.
The loss drops Switzerland to a 1-1 record in the current pre-qualifying window, highlighting the developmental hurdles facing the national program against elite European competition.
Switzerland will now return home to begin preparations for its next fixture against Ireland. That encounter is scheduled for Tuesday in Fribourg.
Following the conclusion of the immediate fixtures, the remaining three matches in the pre-qualification cycle are scheduled to take place in 2027.
