Funky numbers: Why Latvia are now the odds-on favorites to win the World Cup

JAKARTA (Indonesia) - Latvia have done the unthinkable in their debut appearance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup - beating both France and Spain.

Just under a year ago, those two sides were competing in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Final - now both have been beaten by a team that hadn't even qualified for that tournament and are playing on the global stage for the first time.

Latvia - currently sitting 29th in the FIBA World Rankings, presented by Nike - have knocked off Europe's top-two ranked sides as their fairytale run shows no signs of stopping.

A stunning 88-86 triumph over France in the First Round led to the shock early demise of Les Bleus, and Latvia backed it up by overcoming Spain in a 74-69 comeback victory on Friday in Second Round action.

"A GREAT WIN, A SPECIAL NIGHT. SOME GOOD MEMORIES TO HAVE INSIDE - IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE EFFORT."- Luca Banchi

So, what happens when teams beat both France and Spain at a major tournament?

In the last 25 years, it's happened on five previous occasions with the winning team going on to reach the podium in all such cases.

France and Spain have established themselves as powerhouses of international basketball, so it is perhaps no surprise that beating both in the same tournament usually leads in success.

Latvia still have work to do in order to reach the Quarter-Finals, but could they be destined for greatness with their fairytale run going all the way to securing a spot on the podium? History is on their side.

FIBA