2026 playoffs opener: Dziki Warszawa to host Valmiera Glass ViA
- marisnoviks
- Mar 4
- 3 min read
The 2025 ENBL bronze medalists Dziki Warszawa will host the 2026 Latvian Cup winners Valmiera Glass ViA in the single elimination game on Wednesday, March 4, at the Hala Kolo in the Polish capital. The winners will face the best team in a duel between Iraklis BC and TalTech/ALEXELA.
Playoff experience: both teams have repeatedly qualified for the ENBL playoffs (2025, 2026).
Dziki Warszawa last year eliminated the nine time Germany champions Bamberg Baskets in the best-of-two home and away quarterfinal series, and later earned the bronze medal at the 2025 Glasora Final Four in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Valmiera Glass ViA qualified for the ENBL playoffs in their fourth attempt and lost the quarterfinal series against Slovan Bratislava (then Inter Bratislava).
Series history: Dziki Warszawa (5-3) will face Valmiera Glass ViA (5-3) for the first time.
Dziki Warszawa are 3-1 on the home floor after three consecutive wins against Go+ Peja, Dubrava Zagreb and Spartak Pleven.
Valmiera Glass ViA are 2-2 on the road after a 92-88 success at Donar Groningen and a key 99-90 win at TalTech/ALEXELA.
National championships: Dziki Warszawa are 12-8 at the Orlen Basket Liga and in the sixth position overall.
King Szczecin lead the table with a 14-6 record, followed by Slask Wroclaw (13-5), the 2026 Polish Cup winner Trefl Sopot, Legia Warszawa (both 13-7) and Arka Gdynia (12-7).
Valmiera Glass ViA won the 2026 Latvia Cup on Saturday, February 21, defeating a 10 time Latvian champion Ventspils, 84-70, and earning the first trophy in team`s history.
Valmiera was led to triumph by a first year coach and the 2013 European U20 vice-champion Kaspars Vecvagars, assisted by Gunārs Gailītis and Normunds Lišiks, captained by Artis Ate.
Point guard Dominykas Stenionis was named the Most Valuable Player.
Valmiera Glass ViA are 16-6 at the Estonia and Latvia basketball league.
Both teams are returning to play after a National team break.
Know your referees
Crew chief: Romana Rea Car (Austria) – Austrian Basketball Superliga referee from 2020, FIBA referee from 2021, ENBL referee from 2025.
Umpire 1: Bartlomiej Kucharski (Poland) – PLK referee from 2016, FIBA referee from 2021; has worked at the 2023 PLK finals and the 2023 Polish Cup finals; has worked at the 2022 and 2023 ENBL Final Four.
Umpire 2: Andris Aunkrogers (Latvia) – FIBA referee from 2005, has worked at many major events, including the 2019 FIBA World Cup, the 2023 FIBA World Cup, EuroBasket 2022, EuroBasket 2025, Elite and Basketball Champions league referee from 2016; has worked at the 2022 and 2025 ENBL finals.
Observer (at the video): Oskars Lucis (Latvia).
ENBL access: follow the game on YouTube
2026 ENBL playoffs | local time | CET
Wednesday, March 4
19:00 | 19:00 (7) Dziki Warszawa – Valmiera Glass ViA (10)
Tuesday, March 10
19:00 | 18:00 (3) CSO Voluntari – Slovan Bratislava (14)
19:30 | 19:30 (8) Donar Groningen – BK Opava (9)
19:00 | 20:00 (5) Manchester Basketball – Dubrava Zagreb (12)
Wednesday, March 11
19:45 | 18:45 (2) Iraklis BC – TalTech/ALEXELA (15)
19:30 | 19:30 (1) SYNTAINICS MBC – BK Olomoucko (16)
19:15 | 20:15 (6) Tindastoll – Riga Zelli (11)
Thursday, March 12
19:15 | 19:15 (4) Dinamo Zagreb – SIGAL Prishtina (13)
March 17-April 2, quarterfinals
Best-of-two, home and away series
April 21-23, Final Four
Location and final dates to be confirmed
Information on schedule updates
Please, return here for updates (UPD1, UPD2) or search ENBL schedule.
2026 ENBL playoffs and bracket
Live blog: the playoffs are coming
It's exciting to see Dziki Warszawa hosting Valmiera Glass ViA for the first time in the playoffs! This matchup is particularly intriguing given both teams' playoff experience and recent performances. Dziki Warszawa's strong home record could play a significant role, especially after their impressive win against Bamberg last year. For fans looking to engage more deeply, following the playoffs through platforms like SBTI Match can enhance the experience by providing detailed stats and updates. This game is definitely one to watch!
The upcoming playoff match between Dziki Warszawa and Valmiera Glass ViA is exciting, especially considering Valmiera's recent triumph in the Latvia Cup. It's impressive how they secured their first trophy under a new coach. As both teams have shown strong playoff experience, this matchup is bound to be competitive. For basketball fans, following the journey of players like Dominykas Stenionis, who was named MVP, adds another layer of intrigue. Speaking of unique experiences, if you enjoy character-driven games, you might find Tomodachi Life an interesting way to explore personalities in a different context!