How to Live Stream the FIBA Basketball World Cup: Team USA vs France

(Image credit: Pixathlon/Shutterstock)

The FIBA Basketball World Cup began last month (Aug. 31) in China, but today marks an important chapter in Team USA's mission: win or go home. Here's how to live stream the FIBA Basketball World Cup to see if the American squad can call themselves the world’s top basketball team.

This year, the FIBA Basketball World Cup is playing host to a record 32 countries, including the U.S., Italy, Canada, China, and others. And over the 16-day period, you can expect 92 games and plenty of downright impressive players all aiming to take the top spot.

So, whether you’re an avid basketball fan or you simply enjoy competition and want to see which team will take the day, we've got the tips you need to watch it live.

When Does the FIBA Basketball World Cup air?

The Team USA vs. France game kicks off at 7 a.m. Eastern at the Dongguan Basketball Center in China. This is a quarterfinal round match, with the winner advancing to Friday's semifinals.

The tourney ultimately culminates in the finals matchup on Sunday, Sept. 15.

How can I live stream the FIBA Basketball World Cup?

The only way to watch every FIBA Basketball World Cup game is to stream them. And luckily, there are a couple ways to do it.

Here’s a rundown:

ESPN+: ESPN+ will play host to all 92 FIBA Basketball World Cup games. The service is available in the browser, on your phone, or on a variety of set-top boxes, like the Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV. You’ll need to pay $4.99 per month for access to ESPN+.

LiveBasketball.TV: LiveBasketball.TV is another streaming option for watching all of the FIBA Basketball World Cup games. The service is available on a variety of devices, including your computer, via the browser, your iPhone, Android device, or tablet. If you want to only watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup, you’ll need to pay $9.99 for one time, giving you access to the service until Sept. 25. You can also sign on for a $9.99-per-month option, if you want to watch other basketball games aside from FIBA’s games.

How do I use a VPN to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup?

If you’re traveling outside the country, but don’t want to miss any part of the tournament, a virtual private network, or VPN, could be an ideal choice. With a VPN service, you can connect to your desired streaming service through a U.S. server, which will let you access the FIBA Basketball World Cup as if you were at home.

We’ve evaluated many VPN services, and our top pick is ExpressVPN. It meets the VPN needs of the vast majority of users, offering outstanding compatibility with most devices and impressive connection speeds. It’s also affordable at $12.95 per month. (Signing up for longer periods of six months or a year reduces that cost even more.)

Here are three VPN options worth considering should you need them to follow the event.

<a href="https://www.linkev.com/offer/tomsguide?offer=3monthsfree&data1=hawk-custom-tracking&a_fid=744" data-link-merchant="linkev.com"">ExpressVPN: We think the speed, security and simplicity make ExpressVPN second to none. During our tests, we saw fast connection times, and we're impressed by the service's ability to access more than 3,000 services spread out across 160 locations in 94 countries.

One month of service at ExpressVPN costs $12.95, but you can lower that to $6.67 a month if you opt for a year of service, with ExpressVPN throwing in three additional months for free. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied.

<a href="https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=18&url_id=904&aff_id=3013&aff_click_id=hawk-custom-tracking&aff_sub2=hawk-article-url" data-link-merchant="go.nordvpn.net"">NordVPN: Go with <a href="https://www.tomsguide.com/us/nord-vpn,review-4494.html" data-link-merchant="tomsguide.com"" data-link-merchant="go.nordvpn.net"">NordVPN if privacy is your biggest concern. This service, which costs $11.95 a month, uses 2084-bit encryption. You can lower your monthly cost by signing up for an annual plan.

<a href="https://www.ipvanish.com/top-vpn-service?data1=hawk-custom-tracking&a_aid=t2a9&chan=i1d" data-link-merchant="ipvanish.com"">IPVanish: You can connect up to 10 devices at once when you opt for <a href="https://www.tomsguide.com/us/ipvanish,review-4482.html" data-link-merchant="tomsguide.com"" data-link-merchant="ipvanish.com"">IPVanish, making it a good option for when you're traveling. A special offer cuts the monthly rate to $7.50 and you can save even more by opting for a longer plan.

Can I watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup on television?

Unfortunately, no. The FIBA Basketball World Cup will be airing on streaming services only.

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.