Hosts France reached the quarter-finals of men's basketball alongside Germany and Canada on Tuesday, as the group stage sees the Paris 2024 Olympic campaign cut from 12 to eight.

The French achieved a 94:90 victory against a relentless Japan in an impressive extra session, while Germany fought back to beat Brazil 86:73 in Group B at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium, KosovaPress reports.

Canada beat Australia 93-83, while Spain overcame a tricky test to beat Greece 84-77 in second round men's basketball Group A action.

Some 27,000 mostly French fans went wild and then cautiously silent as the Japanese side outplayed their Gallic rivals in an uncomfortably tight cat-and-mouse match that eventually swung in France's favor in the final five minutes of the tie.

"A win is a win, we'll get it regardless," said France's Isaia Cordinier.

"I think this is the most difficult competition in a while, maybe in history in terms of talent and level of basketball," said the French basketball player.

Today, the winners of the USA-South Sudan match will also earn a spot in the quarterfinals.

The losers of that clash, along with Japan, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Serbia, will battle it out for the remaining places to progress to the next stage of the competition.