World Cup: France will host the event for the first time!

The FIBA announced on Wednesday that France has been designated as the host country for the 2031 Men’s World Cup. This is a major milestone for our country, which has not hosted a major international competition since Euro 2015, albeit as a co-host only.

Seven years after the Paris 2024 Olympics, which ignited the country, France will once again experience the thrill of a major international competition. For the first time in history, France has been selected to host the Men’s World Cup in basketball. The FIBA, which had until March 2027 to make a decision, announced on Wednesday that the candidacy file of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) had been accepted and France chosen to be the host country for the 2031 World Cup.

This is a momentous occasion for the French, who have long awaited the opportunity to host this competition, in which the French team has finished on the podium twice – in 2014 and 2019 – but faced a disaster in 2023 under the coaching of Vincent Collet, finishing in 18th place in the final rankings.

The final phase of the tournament will take place in Paris

The decision to award France – a candidate since last summer – the organization of the World Cup in five years (Note: The next World Cup, in 2027, will be held in Qatar, after two editions in Asia) is even more significant given that the two-time Olympic silver medalist has not been the center of a major international men’s basketball event since 2015.

Back then, France hosted the Euro, but not by itself. Germany, Croatia, and Latvia were also co-hosts of the event, which smiled upon Spain that year. This 2031 World Cup in France, the first in Europe since 2014 (in Spain), will take place from August 29 to September 17 in three different cities: Paris, Lille, and Lyon. The capital, with its numerous basketball venues (Paris La Défense Arena, Adidas Arena, Accor Arena, Roland-Garros configured for basketball…), will host only the final phase of the tournament.