Spain won their second FIBA Basketball World Cup title in 2019, while the U.S. suffered their worst-ever result and the expanded 32-team tournament served as Olympic qualification.
Key Facts
- Tournament edition
- 18th FIBA Basketball World Cup
- Dates
- 31 August – 15 September 2019
- Teams participating
- 32 (expanded from 24)
- Final score
- Spain 95 – Argentina 75
- Bronze medal match
- France 67 – Australia 59
- U.S. finish
- 7th place (worst ever World Cup result)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
FIBA expanded the World Cup from 24 to 32 teams and rescheduled the event from 2018 to 2019, making it the first tournament since 1967 not held in the same year as the FIFA World Cup. China was selected as host, and the competition doubled as a qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Held across China from 31 August to 15 September 2019, the tournament saw major upsets including the defending champion United States losing to France in the quarter-finals and finishing outside the top six. Spain defeated Argentina 95–75 in the final to claim their second world title, while France took bronze by beating Australia 67–59.
Spain secured their second FIBA World Cup championship. The United States recorded their worst-ever finish, while host China failed to advance from the first round and, for the first time in history, did not qualify directly for the Olympics. Teams earned Olympic berths for Tokyo 2020 through their tournament results.
Result
at Multiple venues, China