The Hungarian men’s national basketball team suffered a narrow 74-71 defeat against Olympic silver medalists France on Friday, February 27, 2026, in Szombathely, during the third round of the World Cup qualifying tournament.
Despite the loss, Hungary put up a strong fight against the highly-ranked French squad, keeping the game close throughout. The Hungarian team started strong with a three-pointer, and later extended their lead to 13-6 after a second three-pointer from Zsombor Maronka, forcing a timeout from the French side.
France responded, taking their first lead at 15-16, and then pulled ahead by ten points in the second quarter. At halftime, France led 31-38. Hungary managed to cut the deficit in half after the break, but France countered, capitalizing on some inaccurate shooting from the Hungarian side.
Entering the final quarter trailing 47-55, the Hungarian team battled back fiercely. Zsombor Maronka connected on a crucial three-pointer, and a basket from Zoltán Perl brought the score within one point in the closing moments. The drama intensified in the final seconds as Maronka hit another three-pointer to tie the game at 71-71 with just five seconds remaining.
However, Sylvain Francisco delivered the decisive blow for France, sinking a three-pointer with two seconds left on the clock to secure a 74-71 victory. This result marked Hungary’s first loss in the qualifying series.
Hungary had previously enjoyed a successful run in the qualifying stages, advancing to the August pre-qualifying tournament in second place. They then secured victories against Finland (89-52) and Belgium (87-85) in direct qualification matches. Prior to Friday’s game, Hungary surprisingly led Group G with a perfect record after two rounds.
The Hungarian team was without several key players for this match, including Nate Reuvers due to EuroLeague commitments, and Szilárd Benke, Dávid Vojvoda, Tamás Pallai, Dez András Tanoh, and György Golomán due to injuries.
This close contest demonstrates Hungary’s growing competitiveness on the international stage, even against top-tier opponents like the Olympic silver medalists. The team will look to rebound from this defeat as the World Cup qualifying tournament continues.
