World Cup Qatar 2027
The 2027 FIBA (Federation of International Basketball Association) World Cup main event will be held in Qatar between August 27th and September 12th 2027.
As of September 2026, Team France, led by recently named team Captain Victor Wembanyama, is in the second round of qualification contests games. Qualification games to determine the finalist teams will be completed in March 2027
Date: August 28, 2026
Title: France Team Captain Wembanyama’s French Team beats Slovenia.
France Dominates Slovenia In 2027 World Cup Qualification Game held in Bercy.
On August 27, 2026 France played Slovenia in the qualification round 2027 FIBA World Cup Qatar, in Bercy, dominating the contest from start to finish, comfortably winning by the score of 92 – 67.
In limited minutes on the court, Wembanyama shined in return to FIBA stage by dominating both ends of the court. Playing in his first official game for Team France since the 2024 Olympics, Victor Wembanyama scored 22 points in 21 minutes against Slovenia.
Noticeably absent from Team Slovenia for this qualification was Luka Dončić, the NBA superstar currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. His future international participation for his home country remains undeclared at this time. Earlier this summer, Dončić was seen hosting some of his Lakers teammates in Slovenia.
France vs. Slovenia August 2026
World Cup 2027 Qualification Game Highlights
Greece – Giannis Antetokounmpo / Mexico / Columbia / Finland / Sweden / Germany / Netherlands
Date: August 18, 2026
Title: Wembanyama’s French Team vs. Nikola Jokic’s Serbian Team
Serbia and France Meet in Belgrade: Wembanyama Arrives
Serbia and France play at Belgrade Arena on Thursday at 8 p.m. on August 20, 2026.
Victor Wembanyama spent the summer break on Corsica, and as soon as it ended he was back on the court with Guillaume Alquier, the coach whose job is to get him back into shape after a long and grueling season with San Antonio. L’Equipe reported on the sessions. The reason for the rush is in Belgrade: on Thursday, August 20, at 8 p.m., Serbia and France meet at Belgrade Arena.
The Basketball Federation of Serbia put a second batch of tickets on sale on Monday, August 17. The first batch sold a week earlier, at noon on August 10. Tickets are sold through the federation’s partner, Ticket Vision, both online and at all of its outlets
A second batch of tickets is on sale, prices range from 800 to 35,000 dinars, and Victor Wembanyama is confirmed for Belgrade.
Coach Dusan Alimpijevic has named a wider squad of 18 players, led by captain Nikola Jokic. Joining him are Nemanja Dangubic, Aleksa Avramovic, Dejan Davidovac, Ognjen Dobric, Jovan Novak, Marko Guduric, Nikola Milutinov, Luka Mitrovic, Dusan Ristic, Nikola Tanaskovic, Stefan Momirov, Arijan Lakic, Nikola Djurisic, Nikola Jovic and Mihailo Petrovic. Nikola Kusturica and Nikola Dzepina are making their senior national team debut.
The national team gathered on August 13, which means the squad will have a week of joint work behind it by the time it faces France, making Thursday as much a test as a showcase.
On the other side is a team that got through qualifying without much trouble even without Wembanyama. France is 5-1, a record built before the 22 year old center became available to coach Frederic Fauthoux. The French roster also includes Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert and Paris point guard Sylvain Francisco. Serbia sits at 4-2 in its group, competing against Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Both games against France are warmups, sandwiched between two qualifying windows for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar. The real stakes begin eight days after the Arena game.
- August 28, Serbia hosts Iceland at Belgrade Arena
- August 31, Serbia travels to Italy to play in Pesaro
After that, one more window remains, in late November, when Serbia also faces Lithuania. The top three teams from each group advance to Qatar, and with two losses already on the board, Serbia has little room for error if it wants to settle the question before the final round.
The pairing of names is what will fill the Arena. Wembanyama arrives in Belgrade as the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Jokic is the home captain, and a chance to see them share a court on this side of the Atlantic does not come often. A front row seat at 35,000 dinars is a serious sum even with all that in mind.
My take: a warmup game with a poster like this one carries the risk that both benches treat it as a practice run in front of a full house, with short minutes for the biggest names and long looks at players from the bottom of the rotation. Alimpijevic has more reason to care about Iceland in eight days than about France on Thursday, and that will show in how he splits the minutes. But for an hour and a half of basketball and one direct matchup between Jokic and Wembanyama, the Arena will be full regardless.
Tipoff is Thursday, August 20, at 8 p.m.
France vs. Serbia August 2026
In August of 2026, Victor Wembanyama was named the Captain for the 2027 French National Basketball Team.
Basketball: NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama as the new captain of France: “I’m confident in who I am”
Named captain of Les Bleus at just 22, Victor Wembanyama opens a new chapter with the France team, It’s a role he approaches without pressure, but with ambition
Victor Wembanyama Named Team France Captain
Accor Arena in Paris, France
By: Spurs.com
The Spurs have a unique history engaging with international basketball since joining the NBA in 1976. More than 50 international players have suited up for the franchise, including seven from France, and the team welcomed the NBA’s first-ever French jersey patch partner, Ledger, in 2025. The Spurs have made a purposeful effort to enhance the cross-cultural exchange between NBA basketball and international fans as part of the organization and league’s long-term commitment to growing the game globally, most recently hosting “Spurs Week Paris” in February 2026 and a Playoff watch party in Paris in April 2026. The January 2027 games will mark the Spurs sixth regular-season game in France and first regular-season game in England, in addition to seven preseason games played across Europe.
The San Antonio Spurs 2026-27 NBA Regular Season Schedule.
Video Below
San Antonio Schedule European Games For 2027
NBA Expansion Planned For Europe
The NBA has been talking about expansion for years. The NBA has finally chosen a plan for its path to expansion, and it runs through Europe.
In this section is the NBA plans regarding expansion into Europe. There could be new basketball teams coming to Paris, London, Berlin and other big cities in the very near future.
Adam Silver says NBA Europe is “very much on schedule” for 2027-28. Final bids are due by the end of June. Franchise awards could come in the autumn. London and Manchester are firmly in the conversation. And the NBA’s line on EuroLeague has hardened: integration is preferred, but the league says it will move forward either way
NBA Europe to feature 16 teams, 12 permanent, 4 via qualification, Silver says.
NBA in talks with EuroLeague on integration but it will proceed independently if needed
NBA expansion in US also under discussion, with Las Vegas and Seattle as main candidates
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league remains on schedule to launch NBA Europe in October 2027, with final bids for permanent franchises due by the end of June and awards expected as soon as autumn.
The league has seen record interest in the proposed competition and the NBA is working closely with FIBA on the project, which would mark the league’s most ambitious international expansion, Silver told a press conference ahead of Game One of the NBA Finals.
“We are very much on schedule,” he said. “It is our hope and anticipation that the league will launch in the ’27-28 season in Europe. We are on track.”
The planned league is expected to feature 16 teams, including 12 permanent franchises and four additional spots available through a qualification process for clubs across Europe, Silver said.
The NBA’s push into Europe comes amid growing international influence on the league. Silver said roughly 15% of NBA players are European, including top stars like 22-year-old Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, who will lead the San Antonio Spurs against the New York Knicks in the Finals
EUROLEAGUE DISCUSSIONS ONGOING
The proposed NBA Europe competition would enter a market currently anchored by the EuroLeague, which encompasses most of the continent’s basketball powers, including Olympiacos, Real Madrid, Fenerbahce and Barcelona.
Silver said discussions with EuroLeague were continuing and that the NBA hoped to find a way to integrate operations with the existing competition. But he made clear the NBA was prepared to proceed regardless.
“It’s our hope that we can find a way to integrate these operations with the EuroLeague, but we will move forward either way,” Silver said.
According to Sports Business Journal, EuroLeague clubs would need to pay between $500 million and $1 billion for permanent NBA Europe franchises, though those commitments have yet to come.
OWNERSHIP QUESTIONS
Silver also said the issue of whether current NBA players could invest in NBA Europe teams remains unresolved and would need to be discussed with the National Basketball Players Association.
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