The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 will take place from August 31–September 15. The tournament was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019 and will be held in China. If traveling to China isn’t realistic for you, don’t worry! We’ll show you how to live stream the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 online from abroad.
We’re only recommending official sources for watching the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. While there’s sure to be plenty of unauthorized streams for this event, it’s not a good idea to rely upon them. That’s because many unofficial streams are taken down at short notice, leading you to miss out on key moments of the action. Worse still, such streams tend to be of poor quality with a fuzzy image and performance issues including buffering and lag.
Most of the channels broadcasting this event are region-locked and won’t work abroad. If you want to live stream the FIBA Basketball World Cup, you’ll likely need a VPN.
How to watch FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 with a VPN
Ready to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 live online? Read on for a simple step-by-step guide on how to live stream the event abroad.
Here’s how to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 live online:
- Start by signing up with one of the best VPNs for basketball. We recommend ExpressVPN. However, NordVPN and CyberGhost are great value alternatives.
- Next, download and install a VPN app or browser extension for your device.
- Connect to a server in the country of the service from which you want to watch the Basketball World Cup. For example, a server in the US for unblocking ESPN.
- Go to the service you want to use to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup. It should now be unblocked! (Note that you may need to sign up for the service in question).
- If you’re still having trouble, we recommend you clear your browser’s cache and cookies. Alternatively, try another server in case the IP address has been blacklisted.
It’s worth remembering that the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 will be broadcast live online in several countries. You can avoid any last-minute hiccups by testing your VPN in advance. This allows you to contact your VPN’s customer support well before the event in order to address any issues.
How to watch the Basketball World Cup 2019 live online
The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 will be broadcast in more than a dozen countries worldwide. Here are some of the channels showing this event:
USA
ESPN will broadcast the Basketball World Cup in the US. In order to watch live, ESPN requires you to sign in with a participating TV provider. You’ll need to provide the same login details you use with your US TV provider (username/email address and a password).
If you’re outside the US and don’t have a cable TV subscription, you can still watch ESPN by connecting to a VPN’s US server and signing up with one of the following streaming services: DirecTV Now (from $50 USD/month), FuboTV (from $55.99/month), PlayStation Vue (from $44.99/month), Sling TV (from $15/month), and YouTube TV ($49.99/month).
All of these services offer a free trial, allowing you to try them out risk-free, although you will need a payment method linked to a US address.
Australia
If you’re in Australia, you can watch the Basketball World Cup 2019 on Fox Sports Australia. However, you’ll need a Foxtel or Fox Sports subscription in order to do so. This costs $4.99 AUD per month or $49.99 annually. If you don’t have cable, you could also sign up for Foxtel Now; the required channel packs usually cost $40 AUD per month, but there’s a ten-day free trial.
While some Fox Sports content is geo-blocked and only available in Australia (particularly live streams), you can still watch Fox Sports abroad if you use one of the best VPNs for Australia.
France
Canal+ is the only broadcaster showing the Basketball World Cup in France. If you have an Orange or Free account, you can log in and watch at no added cost. However, it’s also possible to sign up directly for €19.90 per month. There’s even a one-month trial period so you can try it out with absolutely no risk.
You’ll need a VPN to get a French IP address in order to use Canal+ abroad as the service is region-locked.
Italy
Sky Sports Italy will be broadcasting the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. However, this requires you to have a Sky subscription in Italy. If you’re already a Sky Sports Italy customer, you can still watch abroad by using the Sky Go Italia app.
This platform is geo-blocked, so you’ll have to use a VPN with servers in Italy in order to successfully unblock Sky Go abroad.
Where else can I watch the Basketball World Cup?
If we haven’t mentioned your country, don’t worry! The FIBA Basketball World Cup is to be broadcast in plenty more countries worldwide. This includes China (CCTV), Greece (ERT), and Russia (Match TV). The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Wikipedia page has a full list of broadcasters. Remember that if your country isn’t listed, you may still be able to sign up for a service in another country and use a VPN to watch the event live.
Can I use a free VPN to watch the Basketball World Cup 2019?
Unfortunately, free VPNs are far too unreliable when it comes to streaming live sports events such as the Basketball World Cup. Very few free VPNs can unblock the likes of ESPN, Fox Sports Australia, or Canal+. Worse still, the average free VPN has few servers and is overloaded with users, resulting in slow speeds. This is particularly noticeable when live streaming where buffering and lag may lead you to miss out on the action.
Besides, free VPNs are not the best choice when it comes to your online privacy. The reason for this is that they often lack essential security features including encryption and a kill switch. While many free VPNs claim to have no-logs policies, few can be trusted. Indeed, many log your personal data and browsing history which is then sold to third parties. All in all, free VPNs offer inferior performance and security and are best avoided.
What should I know about the Basketball World Cup?
The 2019 event will be the 18th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup. It used to be referred to as the ‘World Championships” before a rebranding in 2010. This year’s event was originally due to be held in 2018 but was rescheduled so as not to continue coinciding with the FIFA World Cup.
China will host the 2019 Basketball World Cup, having won the bid against the Philippines. Venues will be spread across eight Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai. The tournament will act as a qualification for the 2020 Summer Olympics and will feature a total of 32 teams, including hosts China, the United States, and Spain.
Who are the favorites to win the Basketball World Cup?
The United States are the heavy favorites to win the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. Indeed, the US are the top-ranked national team according to FIBA. They’ve also won more medals at the World Cup than any other national team (five gold, three silver, and four bronze). However, Spain, France, and Serbia are also high ranking teams that are expected to be strong contenders.
