Brook Lopez of the USA laughs on the bench during the International Friendly Basketball match between Canada and the USA.
The FIBA World Cup is upon us and featuring international superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic along with what looks to be a vulnerable Team USA, you have the recipe for a much closer tournament than we’ve seen in years past.
In the United States, ESPN+ will have live coverage of every group stage game and the quarterfinals, while the semifinals and finals will be on ESPN or ESPN2.
Here’s a complete rundown of how to watch all of the action live on your computer, phone or other streaming device:
Group Stage Games and Quaterfinals: ESPN+
Every group stage and quarterfinal game can be watched live on ESPN+, the digital streaming service from ESPN that has exclusive coverage of dozens of live sports, all the 30-for-30 documentaries and other original content for $4.99 per month.
You can sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the group stage games on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
Watch ESPN & ESPN 2: Hulu With Live TV
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, including ESPN and ESPN2.
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the semifinal and final games on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
You can also watch this coverage on the ESPN website or the ESPN app if you sign in using your Hulu With Live TV credentials.
ESPN and ESPN2 are both included in the “Sling Orange” channel bundle.
You can start a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the semifinal and final games on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
You can also watch this coverage on the ESPN website or the ESPN app if you sign in using your Sling TV credentials.
FIBA World Cup 2019 Preview
Heading into the 2019 FIBA World Cup, the field seems more open than ever with the lack of star power that the United States is bringing to the table. Especially considering 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist Serbia now features an older and better Jokic, the 2019 FIBA World Cup could turn out to be one of the more tightly contested international competitions in recent memory.
The United States was put on notice during their exhibition slate as despite having a roster filled top to bottom with NBA players, they were beaten by Australia – their first loss on the international stage in 13 years. While Australia is expected to be one of the tougher teams in the tournament, they are by no means a medal favorite and the United States will almost certainly run into more talented squads compared to the Boomers as they progress through the tournament.
Despite being full of NBA players, the Team USA roster is far from as strong as it could be. With a number of high profile stars dropping out leading up to training camp, USA Basketball features Kemba Walker as the only player with an All-NBA award to his name to be on the roster. While there is undoubtedly talent across the rest of the roster in players like Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum, Team USA is extremely young compared to some of the previous teams to grace the international stage.
This year’s iteration of the FIBA World Cup features a number of the world’s best big men as aside from Nikola Jokic, France’s Rudy Gobert, Spain’s Marc Gasol, and Lithuania’s duo of Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas look to be featured heavily on their respective teams. The plethora of elite big men could prove to be an issue for the US as they carry only Myles Turner, Brook Lopez, and Mason Plumlee. While all three are capable big men, none are near the level of the aforementioned international crowd and it should take a team effort for the US to slow down that caliber of player.
An extra layer of fun to the FIBA World Cup is that it essentially serves as a qualifier tournament for the Olympics. The top finisher from Asia, Oceana, and Africa all get a bid as well as the top two finishers from the Americas and Europe. While teams still have a chance to qualify for the Olympics via their qualifier tournaments in 2020, the FIBA World Cup offers the most direct path to the Olympics for international squads.