(REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan)
France's basketball stars have suffered a shock exit at the FIBA World Cup 2023 after just two games.
Following their stunning 95-65 opening defeat to Canada, the Paris 2024 Olympic hosts squandered a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter on Sunday (27 August) to go down 88-86 to tournament debutants Latvia.
That means the bronze medallists from the last two World Cups and Tokyo 2020 runners-up are out despite the presence of NBA stars Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier.
"It is a nightmare for us," admitted France's head coach Vincent Collet.
Only 16 of the 32 teams at the World Cup are eliminated after the first group stage and France are one of them.
According to French media, veteran forward Nicolas Batum said, "I am scared to go home because we have let a lot of people down. A lot of people at home believed in us to do something. They believed in us and we didn't do it."
It leaves Les Bleus with plenty of work to do ahead of the Games on home soil in just under a year's time.
As host of Paris 2024 France are automatically qualified and with stars like Victor Wembenyama in Olympic action and potentially Joel Embiid who recently acquired French citizenship, next year's tournament could be a completely different story but going out to World Cup debutants Latvia hurts.
As host of the Paris Olympics France are automatically qualified.
France qualifies automatically as the host of the Paris games. It should also be noted that while France brought the bulk of its Tokyo team to the World Cup, it still has plenty of untapped talent. Star NBA rookie Victor Wembanyama did not play in the World Cup, but he likely will suit up for the Olympics. Looming over the French team is the possibility that Joel Embiid, who recently gained French citizenship, could also suit up for them in Paris, though he is also considering Team USA. France will likely be a formidable opponent at the Olympics.