FIBA Basketball World Cup betting
THE FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts significant betting interest, with the 2027 edition set to be the biggest yet. Due to be played in Qatar, from August 27 until September 12, 2027, the basketball World Cup features the 32 best national teams from around the world. The USA are favourites to win the 2027 edition, priced at $1.45, while Serbia are on the next line of betting at $10. Our betting guide for the FIBA World Cup can be negotiated by using the following quick links:
How to bet on the FIBA World Cup
All decent sports betting sites will have extensive betting markets available on the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Most online betting companies will have markets on the overall winner and things such as the tournament MVP months in advance of the tournament.
As the tournament draws closer the betting sites will begin to release more odds and when match days roll around there will literally be hundreds of different markets (depending on your location and the laws surrounding sports betting).
To sign up at an online betting site you need to find one that will accept bets from your country. While many offshore (based overseas from you) basketball betting sites will accept punters from any country, we strongly recommend betting with bookies regulated in your country — it helps you avoid being scammed by an illegitimate betting company.
Live betting on the FIBA World Cup
Live or in-play betting is available on the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup, but this will largely depend on where you are in the world. For instance in Australia, in-play betting is banned online, with these types of bets only able to be placed over the phone. Other countries such as the United Kingdom have regulated live betting and you will be able to bet on matches once they are under way.
Basketball World Cup odds 2027
There are currently no odds for the FIBA World Cup available, with these expected to launch closer to the start of the tournament. When FIBA World Cup odds are released Team USA is expected to be the bookies’ favourite.
FIBA World Cup groups
The 32 best teams in the world are broken into eight different groups, with four teams in each group. The FIBA World Cup groups for 2027 are as follows (host city in brackets):
- Group A:
- Group B:
- Group C:
- Group D:
- Group E:
- Group F:
- Group G:
- Group H:
** Editors note: The FIBA World Cup groups will be announced close to the 2027 event.
FIBA World Championships history
First played in 1950 as the FIBA World Championships, it was renamed the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2010.
The event has blossomed into the biggest event on the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) calendar.
The USA and Yugoslavia have the best record at the World Cup, having both won it five times from the 17 times it has been played.
The tournament was first played in Argentina, with the hosts defeating the USA in the final, to signal the beginning of a great international basketball tournament.
Since these early days of the tournament, the number of teams has grown extensively; it is now played between the 32 best men’s national teams on the planet.
Since 1998, teams at the FIBA World Cup have competed for the Naismith Trophy, named after the creator of basketball James Naismith.
Many of the NBA’s biggest stars have played at the World Cup, including modern-day stars like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
If there was a knock on the recent history of the FIBA World Cup it would be Team USA’s under par teams they have sent to these tournament, with their last victory coming in 2014. They also had the ignominy of losing to Canada in the 2023 FIBA World Cup bronze medal match.
Past five FIBA World Cup winners
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Host country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | ||||
| 2023 | Germany | Serbia | Canada | Philippines, Japan, Indonesia |
| 2019 | Spain | Argentina | France | China |
| 2014 | USA | Serbia | France | Spain |
| 2010 | USA | Turkey | Lithuania | Turkey |
| 2006 | Spain | Greece | USA | Japan |
| 2002 | Yugoslavia | Argentina | Germany | USA |
All FIBA World Cup Past Results
FIBA Basketball World Cup structure
The FIBA Basketball World Cup has several different phases throughout the six-week tournament, with these being:
- Group Phase – First Round: Eight Groups of four battle it out for the right to move into the second round, with the top two teams from each group qualifying.
- Group Phase – Second Round: The 32 teams are trimmed to 16, with the two qualifying teams from each group placed in the same group in the second round, with two other teams from another group. Each team will play the two teams in their group they have not played, with the results from the first round also counting towards qualifying for the finals.
- Final Phase: The final eight teams battle it out in a knockout phase, culminating in the final to be played on September 15, 2019. The unsuccessful teams will play classification games to determine the rankings from 5-8, while 3 and 4 will play off for the bronze medal.
- Classification games: Teams that finished 2nd and 3rd in the Group Phase – Second Round are automatically ranked 9-16 depending on their result. The remainder of the teams play games to determine the rankings from 17-32.
How do teams qualify for the FIBA World Cup
FIBA breaks the World Cup into different zones, with international teams qualifying for the flagship event by playing a series of international fixtures to determine the best teams from each region. The different FIBA qualifying regions are:
Africa
Five teams in total qualify from the African region from the 16 teams who played in the qualifying matches.
Americas
Teams in the Americas qualified for the top 16 teams in the region through the South American Championships 2016 and the Centrobasket. Seven teams in total qualify from this region.
Asia
Seven teams in total will qualify from the Asia region, excluding host China which qualified automatically.
Europe
Teams in Europe qualified for the 32-team qualifiers either via EuroBasket 2017 or being among the eight teams that qualified via the European Pre-Qualifier. In total 12 teams will qualify for the World Cup from Europe.
World Cup of basketball top chances
The 2027 FIBA World Cup is still some time away, but the top chances are beginning to take shape, with Team USA set to be favoured, but no guarantees with plenty of their players not showing much much impetus for winning for their country.
- Team USA: Undoubtedly the no.1 team in International basketball, but they will be missing some top-flight talent, including Lebron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry. Having said this any team with the likes of James Harden and Anthony Davis in the line-up deserves to be at the top of betting.
- Serbia: Led by Nikola Jokic, Serbia are shaping as a serious force at the World Cup. Will be joined by Sacramento Kings Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nemanja Bjelica. While the squad does not have the depth of the USA, they do boast a formidable starting five.
- Australia: Probably the strongest team the Aussies have assembled since Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke and Andrew Gaze led the Boomers. The will-he won’t-he saga of ace Ben Simmons matters less this time, with stars like Josh Giddey and Dante Exum seemingly embedded in the Boomers setup.
- Spain: Will be missing Pau Gasol, but brother Marc will lead the Spanish team in China. Ricky Rubio and Pierre Oriola are also set to play key roles in China. It is unclear if Serge Ibaka’s naturalisation papers will be passed before the FIBA World Cup.
FIBA Basketball World Cup tips
We have a few rules we won’t negotiate about when it comes to betting on the FIBA World Cup, with these including:
- Never bet against the USA: There is a reason every team that comes up against the USA is at long odds in betting — because the USA are easily the strongest team. While upsets do happen, you won’t win out in the long run by betting against them.
- Throw the basketball world rankings out the window: This is really true around the big International basketball events, when the best players commit to playing for their country. Often friendlies can be between teams made up of youngsters and veterans playing in various domestic leagues. This does not give a true reflection of each team’s real strength.
- Team line-ups and injuries: This is critical because teams can vary from game to game in big tournaments, where player injuries or even just resting or giving players opportunity is common. For instance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup the USA might play a full-strength outfit against Serbia, but will potentially have a completely different starting line-up against a weaker team. Avoid betting on individual player markets and moneylines in matches until you know what is happening with the line-ups.
