FIBA Basketball World Cup betting

THE FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts significant betting interest, with the 2019 edition set to be the biggest yet. Due to be played in China, from August 31 until September 15, 2019, the basketball World Cup features the 32 best national teams from around the world. The USA are favourites to win the 2019 edition, priced at $1.14, 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
World Cup odds
World Cup groups
World Cup history
Tournament structure
Qualifying for the FIBA World Cup
Top World Cup chances
FIBA Basketball World Cup tips


How to bet on the FIBA World Cup

Every decent sports betting site 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 2019 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 2019

USA – 1.14
Serbia – 10.00
Spain – 15.00
France – 26.00
Greece 26.00
Australia – 31.00
Lithuania – 51.00
Canada – 61.00
Argentina – 81.00
Russia – 91.00
Brazil – 101.00
China – 101.00
Germany – 101.00
Italy – 101.00
Turkey – 101.00
Montenegro – 176.00
Puerto Rico – 226.00
Poland – 251.00
Czech Republic – 276.00
New Zealand – 276.00
Philippines – 276.00
Angola – 501.00
Dominican Republic – 501.00
Iran – 501.00
Ivory Coast – 501
Japan – 501
Jordan – 501
Nigeria – 501
Senegal – 501
South Korea – 501
Tunisia – 501
Venezuela – 501

* Odds updated July 8, 2019, and sourced from William Hill.com.au


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 2019 are as follows (host city in brackets):

Group A: Cote d’Ivoire, Poland, Venezuela, China (Beijing)

Group B: Russia, Argentina, Korea, Nigeria (Wuhan)

Group C: Spain, Iran, Puerto Rico, Tunisia (Guangzhou)

Group D: Angola, Philippines, Italy, Serbia (Foshan)

Group E: Turkey, Czech Republic, USA, Japan (Shanghai)

Group F: Greece, New Zealand, Brazil, Montenegro (Nanjing)

Group G: Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Jordan (Shenzhen).

Group H: Canada, Senegal, Lithuania, Australia (Dongguan)


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.

Past five winners

Year Gold Silver Bronze Host country
2019 ?? ?? ?? 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

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. Philadelphia ace Ben Simmons, Matthew Dellavedova, Andrew Bogut and Dante Exum are just some of the NBA players in the Australian squad. Is a legitimate medal chance in China.

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

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.