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Sasha Vezenkov is backing France to lift the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy. The Bulgarian basketball star was among the participants in a BasketNews poll where European basketball players and coaches shared their predictions for the upcoming World Cup. Vezenkov's pick was France.
“Les Bleus” emerged as the overwhelming favorite within the basketball community, garnering a total of 13 votes. Other notable figures who supported France include Mike Batiste, Jordan Nwora, Alpha Diallo, Nadir Hifi, Trent Forrest, Vincent Poirier, Isaïa Cordinier, Sylvain Francisco, Tyson Ward, Chima Moneke, Matthew Strazel, and Donte Hall.
France received more votes than Germany, Spain, and the USA combined. The Germans collected four votes, while Spain and the USA each received three.
Marcelinho Huertas named Brazil as his favorite, while Bonzie Colson backed Cape Verde due to his family roots. Dzanan Musa, on the other hand, put his faith in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The three American EuroLeague players – Alec Peters, Justin Anderson, and Moses Wright – all chose the USA national team.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11 and will be the first in history to feature 48 participating teams. The tournament will be co-hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada, with the final scheduled for July 19 in New Jersey.
Should Vezenkov's and the other basketball stars' predictions prove accurate, France would secure their third World Cup title. “Les Bleus” previously triumphed on home soil in 1998 and in Russia in 2018.
Gosho Metodiev
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