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.