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On August 25, Canada will open their FIBA World Cup schedule with a contest against the French national team. Both Canada and France are seen as potential winners of the tournament.
Canada boasts a stronger squad than France, in large part due to their backcourt of Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Canada also has more NBA talent to lean on than France does. However, Evan Fournier has a history of big performances in FIBA competitions, while Rudy Gobert is arguably the best center in the tournament.
Both teams will want to start off their World Cup group stage with a win. Furthermore, Canada and France both enjoyed a strong tune-up schedule. Canada won three of their five games, while France went 6-1 in their own warm-up games.
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Canada's 2023 FIBA World Cup roster
- Kyle Alexander
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker
- Trae Bell-Haynes
- Dillon Brooks
- Luguentz Dort
- Zach Edey
- Melvin Ejim
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Jamal Murray
- Kelly Olynyk
- Kevin Pangos
- Dwight Powell
- Phil Scrubb
- Thomas Scrubb
France's 2023 FIBA World Cup roster
- Sylvain Francisco
- Nando de Colo
- Isaia Cordinier
- Elie Okobo
- Evan Fournier
- Yakuba Ouattara
- Terry Tarpey
- Nicolas Batum
- Guerschon Yabusele
- Mathias Lessort
- Moustapha Fall
- Rudy Gobert
Canada vs. France Basketball: Prediction
Canada will need to be wary of history repeating itself. France has won all three of their contests against the Canadian national team during FIBA World Cup play.
Furthermore, Canada will need to be cautious of Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum, as the pair are two of three players to ever score more than 200 points for the French national team during World Cup play.
Both Canada and France have reason to be confident heading into their upcoming game against each other. The Canadian national team is a legitimate favorite to become World Champions for a reason. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be the best player on the floor when these two teams face off, while Murray and Brooks will probably be numbers two and three.
France's offense projects to be more one-dimensional than Canada's, and outside of their rim protection, France doesn't have Canada beat in many major categories. As such, Canada will likely get their World Cup run off to a strong start in their opening group game.
Canada vs. France Basketball: Players to watch
Canada will have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dillon Brooks, Kelly Olynyk, and Zach Edey to provide versatility on both sides of the floor.
There will be floor spacing, rim running, rim protection, and rim pressure—all core aspects of controlling a basketball game.
France will struggle to contain the amount of elite talent on Canada's roster, especially with Fournier and Gobert as their two primary defensive and offensive pieces.
Guerchson Yabusele will likely want to showcase his improvements since joining Real Madrid, while Nicolas Batum will be a catch-and-shoot threat from the perimeter. Nevertheless, Canada's talent will likely win throughout their matchup.
