Armenia basketball team to face Ireland in Los Angeles as opponent changes

The Armenia national basketball team will play a friendly match in Los Angeles against Ireland. The game will take place on June 27.

It had previously been reported that Rex Kalamian’s team would face Panama in this match. However, changes have been made to the schedule, and Armenia will now play against Ireland.

In recent years, Armenia’s matches in the United States have become a regular practice. The team is holding exhibition games overseas for the fourth consecutive year, in a country with a large Armenian community. These games help maintain ties with the sports diaspora and also expand the pool of potential candidates for the national team.

In 2023, Armenia played France in the United States. In 2024, the team faced Ireland and Guatemala, and in 2025 it played a friendly match against Costa Rica. Now Ireland will once again be Armenia’s opponent.

The friendly game in Los Angeles will be an important part of the national team’s summer program. Such matches give the coaching staff an opportunity to test the squad, assess potential newcomers and take a closer look at basketball players of Armenian descent competing in the United States, including those playing in college leagues.

These games are also of particular interest because they may feature players who are not yet eligible to represent Armenia in official tournaments due to current sports citizenship rules or restrictions related to participation in college basketball.

Rex Kalamian remains the head coach of the Armenia national team.

It should also be noted that Armenia have an official match against Norway scheduled for 2026. The game will be played away on July 2 and will be Armenia’s final match in the first round of qualification for the 2029 Basketball World Cup. Armenia have already lost their chances of advancing from the group.