2019 FIBA World Cup | Odds & Betting Predictions

    The 2019 FIBA World Cup tournament will be the 18th edition of the basketball championship for men. The competition was originally scheduled for 2018 but was moved due to it coinciding with the FIFA World Cup. The 2019 World Cup championship will be held in China for the first time and will also host a record number of participants with 32 countries making it to the final stage.

    Basketball Teaser

    After completing the qualification stage, it is finally time for the best part of the competition. 32 teams from all over the globe are finally here, every one of them with their own hopes and dreams of showing to the world what they can do. Some of them are here for the first time (Montenegro & Czech Republic) and some of them have made a comeback (Poland, appearing for the first time after 52 years), but they are all playing for the same thing. We might be missing a few stars but the show must go on without them. All in all, the stage is set and the die is cast!
    The action begins on 31 August, with the inaugural game between Angola and Serbia!

    Where is the FIBA World Cup played?

    The 2019 FIBA World Cup will be held in China. It is the first time that China will be the host nation for a World Cup basketball tournament. The decision was made back in 2015 where China got the majority decision by outvoting the Philippines. Matches will be played at eight different venues in eight individual cities across the country.

    The 2019 FIBA World Cup final will be held on 15 September in Beijing’s Wukesong Sports Arena. Earlier in the day, the same venue will host the third-place game.

    Which Teams Have Qualified for the FIBA World Cup

    A total of 32 countries will participate in this year’s FIBA World Cup competition. The format has been expanded from 24 teams since the last tournament to 32 countries. 12 teams have qualified from Europe, 7 have made it from the Americas, 8 appearing from Asia and Oceania, and 5 from Africa.

    The History of the World Cup

    The FIBA World Cup, previously referred to as the FIBA World Championship, is FIBA’s flagship event for men. The championship follows a four-year cycle, much like the FIFA World Cup. However, starting from this year the competition embarks on a new four-year cycle, as the tournament had been moved from 2018 to 2019 in order not to coincide with the Football World Cup. Between 1970 and 2014, both competitions were held in the same year. Organizing the two most popular sports competitions on the planet in different time periods will promote both of them equally.

    The idea of a Basketball World Cup was conceived at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. Seeing how successful the Basketball Olympic tournament was that year, the FIBA Congress proposed a World Championship that would be held in the same manner as the FIFA World Cup. The idea got a lot of support and it was finally determined that the competition would be held between two Olympics or every four years. Thus, the inaugural FIBA World Championship was held in Argentina in 1950. Additionally, the host nation took home the gold medal defeating the US in the finals and becoming the first Basketball World Cup winner.

    FIBA World Cup

    Russel Westbrook drives to the basket in FIBA World Championship game between USA and Lithuania | Oleksiy Naumov / Shutterstock.com

    The Golden years of the World Championship were dominated by countries from the Americas, winning eight of nine medals at the first three tournaments. However, by 1963 participants from Europe started catching up. The 1994 FIBA World Championship held in Toronto saw the US team being mainly comprised solely out of NBA players for the first time. This was the inception of the so-called Dream Team which established the US dominance in the modern era of basketball.

    Currently, the United States are historically the most decorated team at the World Cup. They have won 5 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze medals. The second most successful are Yugoslavia with a total of 10 medals in their trophy cabinet. The Yugoslav team also has 5 gold medals to their name, but 3 silver and 2 bronze ones. Other winners include the Soviet Union (3 gold medals), Brazil (2), Argentina (1) and Spain (1).

    Which Markets are Available for the FIBA World Cup?

    With the 2019 FIBA World Cup competition finally on its way, punters have the opportunity to bet on various types of basketball-related markets.

    Moneyline Bets

    Moneyline bets are essentially the most popular and the easiest way to bet on basketball. Punters only have to guess the winner of the game and place a wager on it. Additionally, moneylines do not include any handicaps, so players only need to decide who the winner will be. Unfortunately, bigger favorites are not usually priced at great odds.

    Point Spread

    Point spread bets on basketball means that you have to “cover the spread” on the market you are playing. Point spreads are a form of handicap betting. Each game comes with a clear favorite and a clear underdog. The favorite can be given a -7.5 spread for winning the match. This means that if you place a bet on the favorite to win you have to hope that they win the game by a point margin of 8 or higher. Point spread bets offer better odds compared to the moneyline but are harder to predict.

    Outrights

    Outright bets include you placing a bet on the winner of the competition or a team to top a certain group. If you have a clear favorite or a dark horse that can surprise everyone, you can place a wager now! However, bettors should make their predictions before the start of the tournament. Once the competition begins the odds will drop and they will continue going down with every game or after each stage.

    Double Results

    If you want to get better odds, double result bets are available to you. Punters have the opportunity to pick a winner at half-time or a full-time winner. They can also combine the two together into a single wager.

    Totals

    You can find great odds by predicting totals. This is a basketball market which includes you predicting the over/under on the total points scored in the entire game or at the half. For instance, the US team is notoriously popular for their high-scoring matches. You should have that in mind when thinking about placing wagers on this market.

    Player Points

    Punters also have the opportunity to place wagers on individual players and their performances. Basketball is a team sport but solitary efforts are equally praised. Bettors can place over/under bets on the number of points a certain player scores during the regular time of the game.

    Statistics for the FIBA World Cup

    fiba basketball world cup 2019If we look at stats before the start of the 2019 FIBA World Cup tournament, there are many interesting trends noticeable. For instance, USA and Serbia (formerly Yugoslavia) have the most top-four finishes in World Cup history. USA leads the charge with 14, while the Serbian team (including Yugoslavia) has 12 top-4 finishes. The third most successful country is Brazil, with 8 finishes among the best four countries.

    Being the host doesn’t ultimately help you win a medal. The rate of hosts winning the gold is pretty low at 19% (3 out of 18). The last host nation to win the tournament was Yugoslavia in 1970, while Turkey is the last one to win a medal (runners-up in 2010). China is not among the favorites to win the medal and they have even fewer chances as the organizers.
    The last three MVPs came from teams who have won the medal. Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Pau Gasol are the last three people who won the Most Valuable Player award as well as the World Cup gold medal. Dirk Nowitzki in 2002 was the last MVP not coming from the winning team. If trends continue, this year might be the same.
    Team US has the highest winning percentage out of all Word Cup participants at .819 with a margin of +16.4 points.

    The odds for the FIBA World Cup

    If team USA wins the 2019 FIBA World Cup, they will become the first county to claim gold three times in a row. The US is widely considered as one of the best basketball countries in the world and with NBA players on their roster, they have the right to call themselves so. However, this is the weakest that the Dream Team has ever looked. With a lot of cancelations from major NBA stars, coach Pop is forced to comprise a roster made out of role-players.

    Nevertheless, as the saying goes: “Never bet against team USA!” Even with a subpar roster, they are strong enough to destroy each and every one of the rest 31 participants. Serbia, led by their NBA trio Jokic-Bogdanovic-Bjelica, is the second favorite and are highly motivated not to lose a third final in a row against the US. Other betting opportunities to look for include Greece and Spain. Greece finally has the Greek Freak on their side while Spain brings a lot of experience to the table.

    Individually, Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to enjoy a great tournament and is an early FIBA World Cup MVP favorite. It is also wise to look for best scorers in teams that don’t have a lot of quality players. Top teams are mostly comprised of star athletes, so it is hard for one player to emerge as the top scorer among many talented individuals.

    Group Previews

    The 2019 FIBA World Cup will feature 32 countries separated into 8 groups. Only the two best ones will advance to the next round where they will be divided into four new groups of four teams. Let’s see who are the favorites to advance:

    Group A

     

    PosTimePGVDPJSGClassification
    Poland420214Advance to the next phase
    China311212Advance to the next phase
    Venezuela31125
    Ivory Coast2022-31

     

    Group B

     

    PosTimePGVDPJSGClassification
    Argentina420239Advance to the next phase
    Russia420219Advance to the next phase
    Nigeria2022-18
    South Korea2022-40

    Group C

     

    PosTimePGVDPJSGClassification
    Spain420249Advance to the next phase
    Puerto Rico3112-8Advance to the next phase
    Tunisia3112-27
    Iran2022-14

    Group D

     

    PosTimePGVDPJSGClassification
    Serbia4202105Advance to the next phase
    Italia311277Advance to the next phase
    Philippines3112-77
    Angola2022-105

    Group E

     

    PosTimePGVDPJSGClassification
    USA420222Advance to the next phase
    Turkey311218Advance to the next phase
    Czech Republic3112-8
    Japan2022-32

    Group F

     

    PosTimePGVDPJSGClassification
    Brasil42029Advance to the next phase
    Greece311224Advance to the next phase
    New Zealand31122
    Montenegro2022-35

     

    Group G

     

    PosTimePGVDPJSGClassification
    France420243Advance to the next phase
    Dominican Republic42026Advance to the next phase
    Germany2022-6
    Jordan2022-43

     

    Group H

     

    PosTimePGVDPJSGClassification
    Lituania420277Advance to the next phase
    Australia420229Advance to the next phase
    Canada2022-39
    Senegal2022-67

    Group A Predictions

    Poland and China are probably the favorites to advance from Group A. Poland are back at the World Cup after being absent for more than 50 years. They have a respectable squad that plays team basketball. The home side, China, is highly favored due to the fact of playing on home soil. Cote d’Ivoire and Venezuela are the underdogs but will be looking for their chances if the favorites slip.

    The odds for topping Group A are as followed according to 888sport:

    – China (1.80)
    – Poland (2.40)
    – Venezuela (9.00)
    – Cote d’Ivoire (31.00)

    Group B Predictions

    Russia and Argentina may be the biggest names in Group B, but Nigeria is considered by many as a team that could surprise everyone at this year’s FIBA World Championship. Russia is missing its star player, Alexey Shved, while Argentina has a squad consisting of proven and experienced athletes. Nigeria has the potential to surprise everyone with NBA-caliber players in their squad. South Korea is the biggest underdog and are really not into the mix for advancing further.

    – Argentina (1.85)
    – Nigeria (3.50)
    – Russia (3.50)
    – South Korea (151.00)

    Group C Predictions

    Everyone sees Spain as the strongest team in Group C. La Roja has the most experienced squad and a respectable roster with a potential to go all the way and even win a medal. Iran and Puerto Rico will be fighting for the second spot and can only hope to advance to the next stage of the tournament. Going though is not something realistic for Tunisia. The best that they can hope is trying to win at least a game.

    – Spain (1.03)
    – Iran (16.00)
    – Puerto Rico (16.00)
    – Tunisia (51.00)

    Group D Predictions

    There are two clear favorites leading Group D – Serbia and Italy. The Serbian team is considered as one of the teams to win it all, as they won a silver medal at the last World Cup competition. Italy will be looking to spoil the fun while the Philippines might also have a chance to show how much their worth is. Angola is probably the weakest here.

    – Serbia (1.07)
    – Italy (6.00)
    – Philippines (151.00)
    – Angola (251.00)

    Group E Predictions

    Historically the strongest team in World Cup history, the USA, will no doubt topple the competition in Group E. Turkey might pose some resistance while the Czech Republic is making an appearance for the first time at the biggest basketball stage. Japan is just happy that they are there and will probably be satisfied with the experience gained from participating at a major tournament.

    – USA (1.01)
    – Turkey (11.00)
    – Czech Republic (41.00)
    – Japan (151.00)

    Group F Predictions

    Led by the current NBA Regular Season MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Greek side is one of the top teams of the competition. Not a lot of countries can match Greece in Group F, with Brazil being given the best odds to do so. If Brazil stumbles, New Zealand and Montenegro will be there looking for their chances to pose an upset.

    – Greece (1.15)
    – Brazil (5.50)
    – Montenegro (21.00)
    – New Zealand (61.00)

    Group G Predictions

    France and Germany are the best participants in Group G, with Les Bleus given a slight advantage. Both of these teams are coming in with high ambitions and they will be looking to capture a medal. The Dominican Republic has had problems gathering their top players and will battle Jordan for the third spot in Group G.

    – France (1.25)
    – Germany (3.60)
    – Dominican Republic (31.00)
    – Jordan (201.00)

    Group H Predictions

    Group H is the most interesting one of the entire 2019 FIBA tournament. With three teams having almost equal chances of advancing through and Senegal being the highest-rated underdog. Australia comes with the best odds to capture the number one spot in Group H, with Lithuania and Canada, which also had problems with their roster, following suit.

    – Australia (2.35)
    – Lithuania (2.40)
    – Canada (3.75)
    – Senegal (251.00)

    Who are the favorites to win the tournament?

    Most experts currently see only four teams with the capability of taking home the gold – USA, Serbia, Greece and Spain.

    USA

    Greg Popovich has had a lot of problems comprising his final 12-men roster. However, the US team is an automatic favorite no matter the players on the roster. They may be missing some of their biggest stars but they have a very young core which will be trying to show their potential. Led by Kemba Walker as captain and some younger players trying to prove themselves, the US is the early favorite to win a third consecutive title at the World Cup championship.

    Serbia

    The Serbian team is looking pretty good so far. Their form leading to the tournament has been exceptional. However, will they be able to keep it going and will they finally be able to get a win against the US? If you ask coach Djordjevic, Serbia has the potential for the highest position on the podium, where they stood last on in 2002. Even though Serbia will be missing their captain Teodosic, Nikola Jokic is leading the attack for the White Eagles.

    fiba basketball 2019

    Greece

    The biggest claim to a gold medal for Greece is having Antetokounmpo on their roster. Giannis is one of the most talented players in the world and his stock went even higher after winning the 2019 NBA MVP award. If he displays the same kind of leadership for Greece as he regularly does for the Milwaukee Bucks, the Greek side might hope for a successful World Cup tournament.

    Spain

    The Spaniards are getting older but are not running out of talent yet. Marc Gasol will lead the charge for the Furia backed by players like Sergio Llull and Ricky Rubio. One should never count out the Spaniards, no matter the age of the roster. They are entering the tournament in high spirits and are in great form. We expect a lot from them this year.
    2019 FIBA World Cup tournament winner odds according to Betway:

    – USA (1.40)
    – Serbia (5.25)
    – Greece (11.00)
    – Spain (15.00)

    Short-Term Betting Tips

    The upcoming FIBA World Cup brings many short-term betting opportunities. The tournament starts on 31 August and concludes with the final on 15 September played in Beijing. During that period, bettors have a chance to take advantage of many short-term offers that arise every day.

    Some of the more regular short-term bets include placing a bet on individual games and trying to guess a winner. Additionally, players can wager on half-time or full-time results. If it is more interesting to you, there are individual player over/under point markets. All in all, there is plenty to go around and we haven’t even gotten to in-play betting. Have a dynamic experience by placing bets on live games and follow the action as it happens.

    Short-term betting is favorable as it brings you different markets and various opportunities each day.

    Long-Term Betting Tips

    If you are a person who enjoys playing the long game, then there are many long-term betting opportunities offered to you during the 2019 FIBA World Cup competition. Long-term bets include bettors playing the waiting game. Bettors need to place their wagers in advance and wait for a longer time for predictions to come true. If you are a patient person, you can reap the rewards after the tournament is done.

    Some long-term betting markets including choosing the final winner of the tournament, countries winning their groups, the MVP of the competition, the best scorer of the championship, etc.
    Long-term betting offers higher odds but bets should be placed as soon as possible. Once the tournament starts, the odds will start dropping down.

    Is the FIBA World Cup a good sport to bet on?

    FIBA World Cup markets are plentiful and allow bettors to take advantage of everyday opportunities. Besides the regular markets that are available during a major tournament, bookmakers are offering special bets and bonuses for players to take advantage of.

    Is there any opportunity to make a good profit within the FIBA World Cup?

    There are many favorable opportunities to place wagers during the FIBA World Cup. Bettors have a chance to increase their winnings by placing smart bets on daily events, outright bets or in-play bets.

    How do I best get started by betting on the FIBA World Cup?

    It is fairly easy to bet on FIBA World Cup markets. Our bookmakers offer many betting opportunities and different basketball markets for players to bet on.

    Is the FIBA World Cup a safe and fair market to bet on?

    The FIBA World Cup is as safe as other basketball-related markets. All terms and conditions apply as with other basketball leagues and tournaments worldwide.[/infobox-grey]