Basketball: stars, favorites, Blues program… Everything you need to know before the World Cup

Start of hostilities this Friday, August 25, until the final on September 10. Four of the eight pools of the first round take place in Manila (Araneta Coliseum and Mall of Asia Arena), two in Okinawa (Okinawa Arena) and two in Jakarta (Indonesia Arena). The final phase (quarters, half, final) will be concentrated at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila.

The program of the World Cup: First round: August 25-31 Second round and classification 17-32: August 31-September 3 Quarter-finals: September 5-6 Classification 5-8: September 7-9 Semi-finals: 8 SeptemberFinal and match for third place: September 10

The entire World Cup will be broadcast on beIN SPORTS. You can follow the Blues live commented on our site.

Not varnished in the draw, the French will successively face Canada (August 25, 3:30 p.m.), Latvia (August 27, 3:30 p.m.) and Lebanon (August 29, 11:45 a.m.) in Jakarta in group H in the first round. The first two will climb into the second group stage and will therefore cross paths with the first two of group G (Spain, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Iran) on September 1 and 3 in group L. The first two will see the quarters and Manila, September 6. “If we come out of our first group, the crossover with Spain and Brazil will force us to make several big matches to simply go to the quarter-finals. And that doesn't guarantee us an easy quarter-final! On the contrary: it will be Slovenia, Australia or Germany, at the very least. To go very far, it will be necessary to chain performances. Sometimes, when you have a difficult chicken at the beginning, it calms down afterwards. It won't be... That's how it is. Now, we will be in the heart of the matter right away, ”analyzes Vincent Collet.

Les Bleus program at the World Cup: Canada-France: Friday August 25 at 3:30 p.m. France-Latvia: Sunday August 27 at 3:30 p.m. France-Lebanon: Tuesday August 29 at 11:45 a.m.

A prestigious list, starting in the French ranks. Victor Wembanayama chose to pass. Under contract in Russia, Thomas Heurtel is non-selectable. As for Frank Ntilikina, he was injured during the preparation. Joel Embiid could also have put on the tricolor tunic. Holder of a French passport, the MVP of last season in the NBA still reserves his choice, he who can play for France, but also the United States and of course Cameroon. For the rest, we will highlight the absences of Denver NBA champions Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and Jamal Murray (Canada). Greece will have to do without Giannis Antetokounmpo. Executioner of the Blues in the final of the last Euro, Lorenzo Brown is forfeited with Spain, like Ricky Rubio. We can add Ben Simmons (Australia), Rui Hachimura (Japan), Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia), Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania). All without mentioning the US cadors, who gave way to a young and inexperienced group under the orders of Steve Kerr.

The list of absentees is substantial, but the plateau will still be raised. We will first follow the prowess of Slovenian Luka Doncic, no doubt recovered after the failure of Euro 2022. Member of the first five All-NBA with OKC, the Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will also be one of the attractions of this World with Lauri Markkanen (Finland), Karl Anthony Towns (Dominican Republic), Dennis Schröder (Germany), Patty Mills (Australia) or even Bogdan Bodganovic (Serbia). The Hernangomez brothers (Spain) showed at Euro 2022 that they belong to this category. Obviously, France is not left out with its NBAers Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum, as well as Nando De Colo, legend of the Euroleague. Last but not least, Team USA is obviously full of talent, from Anthony Edwards to Brandon Ingram, including Jalen Brunson and Jaren Jackson Jr., to name but a few.

Very high. 10 years after the European coronation of the band to Tony Parker, the Blues are aiming for gold this summer, it's clear, it's clear. Remember that the French team has climbed to the third step of the podium at the last two editions of the World Cup (2014, 2019) and that it remains on two finals (lost) at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and at the Euro 2022. "Our goal is the podium? No, our goal is the gold medal, “insists Nando De Colo, the last surviving player from Euro 2013 in Slovenia with Nicolas Batum, without forgetting coach Vincent Collet. Note that a "big" will fall by the wayside before the quarter-finals between France, Canada and Spain. The road to world summits will be strewn with pitfalls…

Team USA, a B team, or even a C team? Yes. Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Devin Booker, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Ja Morant and many more have passed. But look no further for favorites. "They have the best defender of the year in the NBA (Jaren Jackson), All-stars, players who have a maximum contract, All-NBA, a five-star coaching staff... In short, they have everything to win . It's still Team USA, and maybe the best roster every time, player by player. Obviously, they will be dangerous. It remains a favorite team, ”analyzes Batum. And the captain of the Blues added: “Afterwards, Germany has shown very good things since last year and especially in preparation. I watched their game against Canada, it's very impressive. Australia remains a candidate, the Canadians also even if they are novices, Spain remains Spain, us, Slovenia with Luka, Lithuania always present in the major competitions... There are a dozen or so 'teams that can claim a medal.'