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Victor Wembanyama returns to the blue jersey after a two-year absence, and he does so with the captain's armband around his arm. The San Antonio Spurs center, 22, has been promoted to captain of the French national team by head coach Frédéric Fauthoux for the August international window. First appointment this Thursday evening in Belgrade, against Serbia, as part of a preparation meant to launch the cycle toward the 2027 World Cup.
A return awaited since the Paris final
Wembanyama's last game in the tricolor jersey dates back to the summer of 2024 and the Olympic final lost to the United States, where France had secured the silver medal in front of its home crowd.
Wembanyama's last game in the tricolor jersey dates back to the summer of 2024 and the Olympic final lost to the United States, where France had secured the silver medal in front of its home crowd. In the meantime, the 2.24m giant had to skip the 2025 summer campaign, an absence that left the Blues without their best player and forced the staff to rethink their offensive scheme. The French Basketball Federation made his appointment as captain official on Wednesday, when announcing the roster for the four games of the month. Fauthoux embraces a choice of continuity: last June, he already explained he wanted to install a captain for the long term, rather than changing leaders at each international window. A role built to last, in line with what the French team is trying to build.
A 22-year-old leader
At 22, Wembanyama becomes one of the youngest figures to wear the armband for the Blues. The head coach is betting on his natural leadership and his status as a franchise player in the NBA, while several key figures from the Olympic era have left the national team since Paris. The symbolism is strong: the silver-medal generation hands over to its most talented player, the one whose mere presence changes the face of the team and complicates opponents' game plans. From his very first appearances with the national team, the Spurs big man established himself as a voice that matters in the locker room, demanding of himself before being demanding of others. His teammates describe a leader who lifts everyone up, in practice as in games.
Four games to launch the project
The August schedule mixes preparation and immediate stakes. Two friendly games against Serbia open the sequence, this Thursday in Belgrade (8 p.m.) and then Sunday (6 p.m.), both broadcast on the L'Équipe channel. They will be followed by two games counting toward the 2027 World Cup qualifiers, against Slovenia and Sweden. Every result will be worth its weight in points, as the road to the World Cup goes through a nearly flawless run against opponents who offer no gifts. For the Blues, the goal is to quickly secure the ticket to approach the rest with some margin and continue testing new combinations.
The French team approaches this August with a dual objective: lock in their qualification and grow a collective ahead of Los Angeles 2028. The Belgrade appointment, against a Serbia seeking revenge after their defeat in the semifinal of the Paris Games, constitutes the first concrete test of this new cycle, with a 22-year-old captain now at the helm. The rest will tell whether Fauthoux's choice proves to be an obvious one.