France vs. Canada: Free live stream, TV, how to watch FIBA World Cup

France will open up FIBA World Cup action group play on Friday as they face off with an up and coming Canada team to kick off the tournament. Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert will lead the way for France who are among the contenders for the tournament while All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will suit up for Canada. Celtics free agent signing Oshae Brissett will sit out for Canada due to a knee injury.

What time will the game start? What TV channel will it be on? - Friday’s game fight will start at 9:30 a.m. ET. The game will air on TV via ESPN+

The Basketball World Cup — FIBA’s biggest tournament — started Friday, spread out across three countries for the first two rounds before all the biggest games get played in Manila to decide which nation will go home with gold medals and the Naismith Trophy on Sept. 10.

Spain is the defending champion, having won in China four years ago. The U.S. was only seventh in that tournament, its worst finish ever in a major international event. But the Americans have high hopes, and enter as the tournament favorites.

TEAM DATA

According to FIBA, the U.S. has the youngest team at the World Cup with an average age of 24.6. The oldest teams are Venezuela (32.3) and Cape Verde (32.2).

The oldest player on the final rosters: Brazil guard Marcelinho Huertas, who turned 40 on May 25.

The youngest player: Khaman Maluach of South Sudan. He’s only 16, one of six teenagers in the field. The others are a trio of 19-year-olds — Eduardo Francisco of Angola, Miro Little of Finland and Juan Nunez of Spain — along with 18-year-olds Karim Elgizawy of Egypt and Mohammad Amini of Iran.

NBA RECORD

The final numbers are in and, officially, it’s an NBA-record 55 players who are part of this year’s World Cup. That only counts players currently under contract; it’s possible that by the time training camps start in a few weeks the number could rise.

The record was 54, set in China four years ago.

Add in former NBA players or NBA draftees, and the number rises to 106 for this tournament — another record, three more than the 2019 event.

The NBA teams with the most players at this World Cup: Orlando, Utah, Oklahoma City and Minnesota with five apiece.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Start with gold medals for the winners, possession of the Naismith Trophy, the chance to spend the next four years as the reigning World Cup champions. The gold medal game is in Manila on Sept. 10.

There are tournaments within the tournament, though — with another very big prize.

Out of this World Cup, seven teams will directly qualify for the Paris Olympics based on their finish. It’ll be the top two teams from the Americas Region, the top two from Europe, and one each from Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Spain, Argentina, France, Australia, the U.S., Nigeria and Iran were the seven nations that used World Cup finishes to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

France has already qualified for the Olympics as the host nation. The seven teams that make it out of World Cup will be joined by four other nations — to be determined in July 2024 — as part of the 12-team field for Paris 2024.

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

There are eight opening games Friday and eight more Saturday, including the U.S. debut in the tournament.

The Saturday slate:

Group B (at Manila): South Sudan vs. Puerto Rico, Serbia vs. China

Group C (at Manila): Jordan vs. Greece, U.S. vs. New Zealand

Group F (at Okinawa): Cape Verde vs. Georgia, Slovenia vs. Venezuela

Group G (at Jakarta): Iran vs. Brazil, Spain vs. Ivory Coast

HOW TO WATCH THE BASKETBALL WORLD CUP

— In the U.S.: The first three U.S. games (Aug. 26, Aug. 28, Aug. 30) will be on ESPN2. Aug. 26 and Aug. 28 games will begin at 8:40 a.m. EDT; the Aug. 30 game begins at 4:40 a.m. EDT.

BETTING GUIDE

The U.S. is the overwhelming favorite to win the World Cup, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, with the Americans’ odds listed at minus-130 (meaning a $130 wager on the Americans would return $230, if they won). Australia and Canada are tied as the second choice, both at plus-750 (a $100 wager would return $750), followed by France at plus-1,000. Want some value? Try Slovenia; Luka Doncic’s team has odds of plus-3,000.

WHAT TO KNOW

What you need to know about the Basketball World Cup, and the U.S. road to getting here:

— The basketball-crazed Philippines is about to have a shining moment

— U.S. finishes exhibition season 5-0 after rallying to beat Germany