How to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 online or on TV

USA's Harrison Barnes in the team's final match of the FIBA World Cup 2019
USA's Harrison Barnes (Image credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

After four years, one of the biggest events in basketball is coming back: the FIBA World Cup begins again on Friday, August 25, and it'll see many of the best players from around the world team up or go head-to-head.

There will be 32 teams playing in total, with players coming from the NBA as well as EuroLeague and Liga ACB to support their countries. Defending champion Spain will be present as well as the USA and Australia.

Three different countries are set to co-host the World Cup: Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan will all host games over the course of the two-week championship.

To support your team or just check out some great basketball, here's how to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

How to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 in the US

The FIBA's streaming service Courtside 1981 lets you stream all the World Cup games in the US for the low price of $9.99, making this one of the most affordable options if you're not already signed up for a service. The price is usually $44.99 for an annual pass.

Courtside 1981 isn't the only way to watch though. A great option is ESPN Plus, which also costs $9.99 per month (or $99.99 for a year), as it'll be airing all the games in the US. The Disney Bundle gets you ESPN Plus as well as Disney Plus and Hulu, at $12.99 for all free.

You can also use the ESPN cable channels, with the games shared between a few of them. If you don't have a cable subscription then a few live TV streaming services offer ESPN's channels: Sling TV Orange, Hulu with Live TV, Fubo, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, SpectrumTV and Vidigo.

How to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 in the UK

There's only one way to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup in the UK, and that's by using FIBA's own streaming service, Courtside 1981. The UK doesn't have a team playing in the tournament.

Usually, Courtside 1981 costs £37.99 for an annual pass, letting you watch loads of basketball live as well as highlights and more. However the site is offering a World Cup pass for £21.99, letting you see all the coverage of the 48 World Cup matches but nothing else.

How to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 in Australia

There are two ways of watching the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Australia, and both cost exactly the same.

First up, there's an option we've listed above: FIBA's own Courtside 1891 streaming service. The World Cup game plan for this costs $24.99 for all the games (or $49.99 for unlimited basketball streaming.

Alternatively there's Kayo Sports, which will also be streaming the sports over the internet, and also costs $25. Kayo does have pricier tiers though, that figure is for the Basic plan, however it has a seven-day free trial too which might tempt some.

How to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 everywhere else

If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch the basketball, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN). 

A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite sports or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is one of the simplest and most affordable ways to watch what you want from anywhere you want to watch it. 

It's straightforward and easy to use, has great security, is available on loads of streaming devices and, best of all, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out 100% risk-free.

FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 fixtures

The full list of FIBA Basketball World Cup matches would be huge, due to all 32 teams playing multiple matches, and you can see the entire listings here. But here are when the US and Australia will be playing their group stage games:

Friday, August 25

  • Finland vs Australia (noonET/9 am PT/5 pm UK)
  • USA vs New Zealand (4:40 pm ET/1:40 pm PT/9:40 pm UK)

Sunday, August 27

  • Australia vs Germany (12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT/5:30 pm UK)
  • USA vs Greece (4:40 pm ET/1:40 pm PT/9:40 pm UK)

Tuesday, August 29

  • Australia vs Japan (3:10 pm ET/12:10 pm PT/8:10 pm UK)
  • USA vs Jordan (12:40 pm ET/:40 am PT/5:40 pm UK)

Further games will depend on teams' performance in the intial ones.

Tom Bedford
Streaming and Ecommerce Writer

Tom is the streaming and ecommerce writer at What to Watch, covering streaming services in the US and UK. His goal is to help you navigate the busy and confusing online video market, to help you find the TV, movies and sports that you're looking for without having to spend too much money.