Nadir Hifi has been left out of France national team, after head coach Frederic Fauthoux has announced the final 12-player roster for the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifier against Slovenia at Paris’ Bercy Arena.
From the original 15-player roster, Frederic Fauthoux had to leave out three players. While the absences of Axel Bouteille and Yves Pons were not unexpected, the decision to leave the 24-year-old guard out of the squad surprised most basketball fans in France.
EuroLeague’s second-leading scorer left out
Hifi is coming off an outstanding season with Paris, where he finished as the EuroLeague’s second-leading scorer with 18.9 points per game, behind Sasha Vezenkov, who averaged 19 points.
Known as an explosive scorer capable of changing the rhythm of a game with difficult and unpredictable shots, Hifi was expected to provide offensive energy off the bench for the national team. However, his recent shooting struggles in the preparation games hinted at this outcome.
He was shooting 0-for-7 from three-point range over his last two appearances in the national team jersey, 0-for-5 against Serbia and 0-for-2 against Belgium.
La liste des 1️⃣2️⃣ Bleus pour le match face à la Slovénie 🇸🇮 ⚔️
— Équipes de France de Basket (@FRABasketball) August 26, 2026
📺 Un match de qualification à la Coupe du Monde à suivre en direct sur @beINSPORTS 1.
#PassionnémentBleu | #TeamFranceBasket | #FIBAWC | #FRASLO pic.twitter.com/vUFAVnzTDF
Fauthoux explains decision
Speaking at a press conference before the game, France head coach Frederic Fauthoux emphasized that the decision was purely tactical, with Sylvain Francisco and Matthew Strazel currently preferred in the backcourt:
“We made this decision because it is extremely complicated to play with two small guards at the same time. You have to make choices. At this moment, Sylvain may fit better into the concept of this team. I spoke with Nadir, he had excellent practices, and this is my personal assessment.
His style of play does not completely match what we want to implement at the moment, unlike at Paris, where he has a different environment and different teammates.
It is extremely important that he does not change his game – he remains a fantastic player and will continue to play that way for his club, but at this moment, Francisco and Strazel have the edge,” Fauthoux explained.
