Reigning World champion Germany and hosts France will square off once again but this time in a bigger stage as the heavyweight matchup draws another chapter in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

The Germans and the French have faced each other in the group stage over at Group B where Germany won handily, 85-71. NBA duo Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder led the way for Germany as they stifled a France team eager to play in front of their home fans in Lille. The Germans punished the French on both ends of the floor in that game, capitalizing on misses and converting on easy transition points in the fastbreak. 

That led to Germany finishing first in the group and facing Greece in the quarterfinals, winning 76-63. France ended up taking second in the group and matched up against a tougher Canada side with an NBA-laden roster. However, with the help of an active and energetic crowd in Paris, France rode the momentum to upset the Canadians 82-73 and set up a rematch against Germany.

This French crowd may just be the difference for France in this rematch vs Germany. 

Key storylines to watch out for

• Victor Wembanyama’s bounce back game

Victor Wembanyama played an ugly game vs Canada with his usual standards, only having 7 points on just 2/10 FG and 0/6 from three. Wemby struggled to find his offense all game long, missing mostly on wide open shots that he usually makes. He did, however, make a crucial defensive play with under 3 minutes to go by blocking a shot which eventually turned into an Evan Fournier dagger from 40 ft to push France’s lead to 10. That is usually where Wembanyama’s excellence is ramified – on the defensive end of the floor. Much is to be said for the highly-touted French phenom, but he absolutely cannot play like he did against Canada if France wants to win vs the reigning world champions. That said, it can be expected Wemby bounces back big-time one way or another. 

• Rudy Gobert’s minutes

In a bold move, France head coach Vincent Collet opted to bring the NBA center off the bench for better matchups against Canada – and it worked superbly well. Guerschon Yabusele started in Gobert’s place and eventually earned the player of the game honors with 22 points. Yabusele was the driving force of France’s attack as he attacked the paint with his aggressiveness. His added scoring punch compared to Gobert’s playing style helped France get the lead early and never relinquished it until the end.

Against Germany, it will be interesting to see how Gobert acclimates himself and makes himself usable. The Germans have a strong frontline that fits well with each other alongside Franz Wagner and Schroder’s relentless attacking of the rim. Perhaps Gobert will make himself valuable on the defensive side of the floor as France will need all the help they can get on defense with Germany’s incredible offense.

• Germany against Paris, France, and the world

Despite being the reigning world champions, pressure will be on against Germany to perform on the biggest stage in front of a hostile crowd in Paris. The French will have the crowd on their side and it could be the difference in a game like this. This would be Germany’s first-ever Olympic semifinal appearance in the nation’s history, so it will be interesting to see if they can hold off the pressure and perform with the highest stakes. They will need every bit of Franz Wagner, Dennis Schroder, and the rest of the world champion-winning roster to stave off a tough challenge from Victor Wembanyama and France, who are also looking to enter the gold medal match as hosts in these Olympics.