On the eve of the beginning of EuroBasket, Cyprus is ready and set to host Europe’s premier international basketball tournament, with the city of Limassol one of four host cities across the continent.

The tournament proper is set to get underway on Wednesday, with three matches each in the Latvian capital of Riga and in the Finnish city of Tampere, before the eyes of the basketball world will turn to Limassol’s Spyros Kyprianou arena on Thursday night.

Limassol’s opening game will see Georgia face off against Spain, with that game set to tip off at 3pm, before the hosts Cyprus, playing in their first ever EuroBasket game, will face Bosnia and Herzegovina at 6.15pm.

The third and final game of the night will see Greece play Italy at 9.30pm.

In total, 15 games will be played over five matchdays in Limassol between Thursday and the final night of action on September 4, before the knockout stage games will be played in Riga between September 6 and the final on September 14.

Tickets are still available via more.com, with those wishing to attend games urged “to make their preferred seat selections immediately”.

Basketball’s global governing body Fiba said the five nights of basketball in Limassol “promise to be action packed”, and that the hosting of a tournament of such magnitude in Cyprus is “historic”.

“An event which until now we have only enjoyed on television or by getting on an aeroplane to experience abroad will this year be seen at our home,” Fiba’s announcement stated.

It also made reference to the “historical first appearance” at the tournament of the Cypriot national team, adding that Cyprus’ hoopers “need the people by their side to push them on in their efforts.

“In addition, it is a unique opportunity for fans to experience the stars of [Cyprus’] opponents, Greece, Spain, Italy, Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina up close,” it added.

The Cyprus basketball federation said the island’s national team has undergone “two months of preparation” for the tournament, and that the players will “immediately throw themselves into battle against extremely strong opponents”.

Head coach Christoforos Livadiotes said that he and his coaching staff have “tried to increase the pace and intensity” during pre-tournament preparations, with the aim of “being at the point of being competitive”.

He said that two recent exhibition matches, against Israel and Serbia, were “quite helpful”, even if Cyprus had been on the end of a 122-55 shellacking by Serbia and a chastening 109-69 defeat at the hands of Israel.

“Through these friendlies, we drew positive conclusions, but we also saw some things that we need to improve to have a better picture,” he said.

He added that “everyone understands how difficult” Cyprus’ five group matches will be.

“We understand the difficulties with the quality opponents we have, but we are optimistic that we will present ourselves as we should,” he said.