Finland stood out as one of the top national teams in 2025, causing several upsets to finish fourth at EuroBasket 2025, but their opening Group G World Cup qualifier resulted in an 89-82 defeat on the road against Hungary last Friday.

However, back in front of their home fans in Espoo, the Wolfpack delivered another memorable win to share the top spot in the standings with France. The visitors were without their NBA stars, and Finland also missed Lauri Markkanen.

A close first quarter ended with the home team leading by one point, but France started the second quarter strongly, scoring the first nine points to take a 28-20 lead.

The visitors, ranked fourth worldwide, kept an eight-point lead until halftime, with Finland only making slight progress in the third quarter.

Nevertheless, the home team surged back in the final quarter,as Elias Valtonen and Edon Maxhuni sparked a comeback, before Mikael Jantunen and Sasu Salin led Finland on a 10-0 run that transformed a 72-67 deficit into a five-point lead with two minutes remaining.

Finland held firm in the closing moments to keep France at bay, ultimately winning by seven points, 83-76. Maxhuni was the top scorer with 20 points, while Jantunen led in both assists and rebounds.

The qualification campaign will continue in late February and early March, with Finland facing Belgiumboth home and away.

Stay updated with all the latest FIBA World Cup qualifying results on Flashscore.