The draw for the third round of the Coupe de France basketball tournament took place on Wednesday evening at the headquarters of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB). This round, often referred to as the round of 16, will feature an unusual number of teams—63—due to AS Monaco's absence from the competition, which was not filled by another team. As a result, 15 teams were entered into a draw for seven matches, with one team automatically qualifying for the round of eight. Among the teams automatically selected was Hyères-Toulon (HTV), which reached the semifinals in 2026. This allowed HTV to skip a match and directly advance to the next stage. The draw included several notable matchups, such as Blois (Elite 2) facing Denain (Elite 2), and Challans (NM1) set to play either Alliance Sport Alsace (Elite 2) or Nancy (Betclic Elite). Other matches included Antibes (Elite 2, +7) against Pau-Lacq-Orthez (Betclic Elite), and Boulogne (NM1) against Rennes (NM1). One of the more intriguing matchups involves Challans, which will start the game with a 7 or 14-point advantage against either Alliance Sport Alsace or Nancy. Additionally, the fifth match could see Toulouse automatically host the game if they defeat Limoges in a potential tiebreaker situation. Several teams have already secured their spots in the round of eight, including Paris Basketball, Nanterre 92, ASVEL, Cholet Basket, Le Mans Sarthe Basket, JL Bourg, SIG Strasbourg, and Hyères-Toulon. These teams will now prepare for the next stage of the competition, which will see them face off in a series of high-stakes matches.