Canada vs. France final score, results: Evan Fournier seals upset victory in Olympic basketball quarterfinals

Brendan OSullivan

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Canada vs. France final score, results: Evan Fournier seals upset victory in Olympic basketball quarterfinals image

Head coach Vincent Collet made a surprising change by not starting Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier against Canada, but he may have been a genius for the decision.

France, which finished group play with a 2-1 record, upset Canada 82-73 in the third quarterfinal match of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Canada was 3-0 entering the knockout round.

Victor Wembanyama headlines a talented French team fitted with multiple NBA players, but it was Isaïa Cordinier and Guerschon Yabusele who led the way. Both players eclipsed 20 points for the game.

France held a 16-point lead at halftime, but Canada attempted a second-half comeback, cutting the lead to as little as five points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Canada with 27 points. RJ Barrett was the only other member in double figures, scoring 16.

Evan Fournier sealed the game with a shot almost from halfcourt after two consecutive offensive rebounds.

France advances to the semifinal for a rematch against Germany on Thursday, Aug. 8. The two clubs played each other in group play when Germany won 85-71. The winner of the rematch will secure at least a silver medal, while the loser will play for a bronze medal.

The Sporting News tracked all the live updates, scores, and highlights throughout the game.

MORE: Full box score, stats from France vs. Canada men's basketball quarterfinal

Canada vs. France basketball final score

 Q1Q2Q3Q4Final
Canada1019212373
France2322162182

MORE: Watch the 2024 Olympics live with FuboTV (Free trial)

Canada vs. France updates, highlights from 2024 Olympic men's basketball

(All times Eastern)

Final: France 82, Canada 73

2:03 p.m.: Canada opts for one more foul while trailing 80-73 with 6.1 seconds left.

2:01 p.m.: Wembanyama puts the game away with a layup

1:59 p.m.: Oh no, Jordi Fernandez is called for a technical foul. Canada may have blown its chance.

1:58 p.m.: Barrett knocks down a triple to cut the lead back to seven. Yabusele is going back to the line for free throws.

1:56 p.m.: OH MY GOD! EVAN FOURNIER! The veteran guard heaves a nearly halfcourt shot after two offensive rebounds. France leads 76-66 with 55 seconds remaining.

1:49 p.m.: Wembanyama! The 20-year-old blocks Brooks to keep Canada off the board.

1:47 p.m.: Barrett's fastbreak dunk cuts the lead to just five! France leads 65-60 with 4:09 to play.

1:45 p.m.: Now Cordinier picks up his fourth foul. There's still 5:14 to play, so the French guard is sitting momentarily.

1:44 p.m.: And just like that Ntilikina fouls out. Fournier comes in to replace him.

1:43 p.m.: Yabusele draws the charge on Brooks, who picks up his fourth foul of the game. Ntilikina picks up his fourth foul moments after.

1:41 p.m.: When in doubt, feed Yabusele the ball. He's up to 20 points, as is Cordinier. They combine for 40 of France's 65 points thus far.

1:36 p.m.: Barrett's 3 cuts the lead to six points! It's a 5-0 run for Canada to start the fourth.

1:35 p.m.: Lessort is drawing a lot of fouls against Canada's interior defenders.

1:34 p.m.: Barrett's put-back layup cuts the lead to nine at the start of the fourth quarter.

End of third quarter: France 61, Canada 50

1:27 p.m.: Lead is down to just seven! Canada is not done yet.

1:25 p.m.: Canada doesn't seem to have an answer inside even when Wembanyama and Gobert are on the bench. Nonetheless, Canada is trailing by just nine points with 2:45 left in the third.

1:21 p.m.: Yabusele is up to 18 points as Canada cuts the lead to eight with 3:44 left in the quarter.

1:17 p.m.: Gilgeous-Alexander cuts the lead to 11 points as he draws France's fourth team foul with 5:37 remaining in the third.

1:15 p.m.: Barrett finishes the and-1 as Canada continues to get to the free throw line early in the third quarter. The free throw disparity was large at halftime, and Canada is attempting to even that.

1:14 p.m.: Yabusele is hooping! He slams down a jam to give him 14 points on the day.

1:12 p.m.: Dort finishes the and-1 on Ntilikina! Canada trying to stay in this, now trailing 48-34 with 8:13 left in the third quarter.

1:08 p.m.: Cordinier extends the lead to 19 to start the third quarter. It's the largest lead of the game.

Halftime: France 45, Canada 29

12:51 p.m.: A Yabusele 3-pointer caps off an incredible first half from France, which leads 45-29 at halftime.

12:49 p.m.: Mathias Lessort is 6-10 from the free throw line, while Canada is shooting 6-8 from the line as a team. France is 19-25 from the line as a team.

12:48 p.m.: Barrett picks up his third foul. Players foul out at five fouls.

12:43 p.m.: Oh, there he goes! Gilgeous-Alexander has 11 straight points for Canada after his two free throws fall.

12:42 p.m.: Gilgeous-Alexander is doing his best to keep Canada within striking distance. He's up to eight points on 4-7 shooting as France leads 32-22 with about four to play in the half.

12:39 p.m.: Gobert takes a seat as France is going small for some time in the second quarter.

12:37 p.m.: France timeout on the floor, as it leads 30-18 midway through the second quarter.

12:32 p.m.: Yabusele is bullying Canada in the post, bulldozing his way to the rim.

12:31 p.m.: Gobert enters the game for the first time at the 7:41 mark of the second quarter. France leads 28-13.

12:30 p.m.: Murray hits a corner 3-pointer to get Canada on the board in the second quarter.

12:28 p.m.: Fournier nails a stepback 3-pointer to increase the lead to 16.

12:27 p.m.: Wembanyama picks up his second personal foul just 15 seconds into the second quarter.

End of first quarter: France 23, Canada 10

12:24 p.m.: What a showing from France in the first quarter. It's 23-10 after one.

12:21 p.m.: Murray drains a long two for the team's first field goal since 7:44.

12:18 p.m.: Canada scored its first points since the 7:44 mark in the first quarter. Trey Lyles knocks down 1-2 free throws with 2:07 remaining. France leads 19-6.

12:16 p.m.: Gilgeous-Alexander gets a nice block on Batum's jumper, but Yabusele draws a foul late in the shot clock to earn free throws.

12:13 p.m.: France coach Vincent Collet benched Evan Fournier and Gobert to start the game, and it's paid off so far.

12:11 p.m.: Canada commits its fourth turnover of the first quarter and gets called for a clear-path foul immediately after.

12:09 p.m.: France is dominating through the first five minutes of action. Guerschon Yabusele has been a force inside as Cordinier is leading with points. France leads 16-5.

12:06 p.m.: Cordinier, my goodness! Back-to-back 3-pointers gives him 10 points on 3-3 shooting. France leads 13-5 as France holds all momentum.

12:04 p.m.: Isaia Cordinier is off to a strong start, getting an easy dunk and now drawing a foul for two free throws. France leads 7-2 after two minutes of play.

12:01 p.m.: Rudy Gobert is not starting for France today. Wembanyama is the sole big in the starting lineup.

11:59 a.m.: Quarterfinal basketball is about to begin. Players are taking the floor.

11:41 a.m.: Canada vs. France is about 20 minutes away. Stay tuned for live updates throughout the game.

11:16 a.m.: Another player to keep an eye on is RJ Barrett, who is averaging 21 points per game on 59.5 percent shooting from the field. The Canadian wing is also knocking down 45.5 percent of his 3-pointers through three games.

11:14 a.m.: The quarterfinal matchup will have a plethora of NBA talent on the floor. Both current and former players will participate. Wembanyama, Gobert, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray are just a few notable names from the game.

11:12 a.m.: France hasn't been as strong thus far. Led by Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert, the team finished group play 2-1 with just a plus-2 point differential.

11:09 a.m.: Canada was 3-0 in group play, finishing with a plus-20 point differential. The United States and Germany also had 3-0 records, but they had a higher point differential, giving them the No. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively.

10:59 a.m.: Canada vs. France begins in an hour. It's the third quarterfinal match on Tuesday. Winner will play Germany in the semifinals.

10:57 a.m.: The first two quarterfinals matches are complete, setting the stage for the semifinals on Thursday, Aug. 8. Germany defeated Greece and Serbia defeated Australia.

How to watch Canada vs. France at 2024 Paris Olympics

  • Date: Tuesday, August 6
  • Time: 12 p.m. EST
  • TV channel (USA): NBC
  • Livestream (USA): Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, Fubo
  • TV channel (Canada): CBC
  • Livestream (Canada): CBC Gem, Fubo
  • TV Channel (Australia): Nine Network
  • Livestream (Australia): 9Now, Stan Sport

Fans in the US can watch Canada vs. France on NBC on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at noon ET. For those streaming the game, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com will broadcast the match. Fubo is also available and has a free trial.

Fans in Canada can watch the quarterfinal contest on CBC and can stream through CBC Gem and Fubo. 

Canada basketball Olympic schedule 2024

Team Canada was a part of Group A, which included Greece, Australia, and Spain. The team went a perfect 3-0, finishing first in the group. 

DateGameTime (ET)TV channel
July 27Canada 86, Greece 79——
July 30Canada 93, Australia 83——
Aug. 2Canada 88, Spain 85——
Aug. 5France 82, Canada 73 (Quarterfinal)——

France basketball Olympic schedule 2024

Team France was a part of Group B, which included Brazil, Japan, and Germany. The team went 2-1, losing only to Germany, en route to finishing second in the group. 

DateGameTime (ET)TV channel
July 27France 78, Brazil 66——
July 30France 94, Japan 90 —
Aug. 2Germany 85, France 71——
Aug. 5France 82, Canada 73 (Quarterfinal)——

Men's Olympic basketball schedule 2024

Tuesday, Aug. 6

RoundMatchupTime (ET)
QuarterfinalGermany vs. Greece5 a.m.
QuarterfinalSerbia vs. Australia8:30 a.m.
QuarterfinalFrance vs. CanadaNoon
QuarterfinalBrazil vs. USA3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 8

RoundMatchupTime (ET)
SemifinalTBD vs. TBD11:30 a.m.
SemifinalTBD vs. TBD3 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 10

RoundMatchupTime (ET)
Bronze medal gameTBD vs. TBD5 a.m.
Gold medal gameTBD vs. TBD3:30 p.m.

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Brendan OSullivan

Brendan OSullivan Photo

Brendan O'Sullivan is an editorial intern for Sporting News, joining in 2024. He previously worked at Newsday on Long Island, New York after graduating from Quinnipiac University.