2027 World Cup: Wembanyama leads France to 84-69 win over Sweden in qualifiers

France beat Sweden 84-69 at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm on Sunday, August 30, 2026, in the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers. The hard-fought win kept France atop Group L, with Sweden falling to 4-4 in the qualifiers.

Wembanyama closed with 18 points on an efficient 6-of-7 shooting, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and a steal. The French big man did his damage on just seven shot attempts.

Larsson’s 23 points not enough for Sweden

Sweden had an answer of its own in Pelle Larsson, who led Sweden with 23 points. Larsson arrived in Stockholm having scored exactly 31 points in each of his previous two World Cup qualifiers appearances, including a performance that carried Sweden to an 86-81 win over Finland. But Larsson’s total on Sunday was not enough to keep pace with France down the stretch.

France closed the contest on a 20-5 run to pull away. That surge delivered a 15-point final margin.

Strazel, Raynaud and Hoard back up Wembanyama

Wembanyama did not do it alone in closing the game out. Matthew Strazel hit two important 3-points in the second half, and Maxime Raynaud held things together on both ends whenever Wembanyama sat to rest on the bench. Hoard made Sweden pay for leaving him alone in the corner, connecting on two 3-points there that helped build France’s advantage during the closing 20-5 run. By the final buzzer, Raynaud and Strazel each had 13 points for France, while Hoard finished with 10.

Group L standings after the win

The win pushed France to 7-1 and 15 points atop Group L, comfortably ahead of Finland (5-3, 13 points), with Slovenia and Sweden both sitting at 4-4 with 12 points. Sweden’s loss, its fourth of the campaign, leaves the Swedes fighting for position in a crowded middle tier of the group as qualifying continues.

Before the Sweden game, France had faced Serbia twice in friendly matches. Les Bleus had first fallen 90-87 in Belgrade, with Nikola Jokic coming close to a triple-double at 20 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, before France answered with a 91-90 win in an exhibition game in Orléans decided by a Jaylen Hoard buzzer-beater.

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