Wembanyama Dominates Slovenia in 21 Minutes as France Opens Qualifying Window with Blowout

Victor Wembanyama needed just half an hour. France opened the second round of European qualifying for the 2027 World Cup with a dominant 92-67 victory over Slovenia in Paris, with their star needing only 21 minutes to put the game away: 22 points, 9 rebounds and one block.

Demolition Without Suspense

The script had no flaws. France controlled from the opening tip with a dominant first quarter of 31-17, led 54-35 at halftime and built a lead as large as 29 points without Slovenia, missing its NBA stars, ever finding a way to threaten.

France's balanced attack confirmed the depth that looks scary heading into the World Cup: Maxime Raynaud and Matthew Strazel each added 13 points, the latter with six assists; Rudy Gobert contributed 9 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in his first game as Kuminga's new teammate in Minnesota... though he found out about that from Paris; and Sylvain Francisco, the hero of Orleans, added another 9. For Slovenia, the few bright spots were 10 points each from Krampelj and Glas, 9 points with 8 rebounds from Mirtic and 11 rebounds from Alen Omic.

The Three-Point Line Still Crooked

Wembanyama's numbers hide the nuance we've been tracking since the friendlies. His efficiency near the basket was perfect—5 of 5 on two-pointers, 9 of 10 from the free throw line—but the math is simple: his 6 of 10 overall from the field means 1 of 5 from three, extending the outside drought of 0 of 4 from Orleans and the missed three-pointer in Belgrade. The stat is anecdotal while France wins by twenty-five; it will stop being so when a close semifinal arrives.

For Spanish fans, France's display is also a context warning: this is the level of the neighborhood in the race toward 2027, the same one Spain opens against Portugal in Zaragoza.