FIBA World Cup 2023, quarter-finals preview: Full schedule and how to watch live
The FIBA World Cup 2023 is yet to disappoint, and now the stakes are raised even higher as eight teams battle for the right to be called world champions.
Basketball
After an enthralling first two rounds of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, the competition moves to the quarter-final stage with eight teams left standing.
Included in the list of teams who failed to advance to the knock-out rounds are Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists Australia, Tokyo 2020 silver medallists France, and reigning World Cup champions Spain, meaning we will see a new world champion for the first time since 2014.
This World Cup is also the primary qualification route for teams for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Here is all the critical information you need to know for the World Cup quarter-finals.
- How to qualify for basketball at Paris 2024: The Olympics qualification system explained
- FIBA World Cup 2023: Full schedule and how to watch
- Basketball, FIBA World Cup 2023: All games, results and group standings - complete list
- Basketball, FIBA World Cup 2023 top stats leaders: Points, rebounds, assists - complete list
2023 FIBA World Cup quarter-final full schedule & match-ups
Lithuania vs Serbia | 5 September in Manila | 16:45 Local Time
The Baltic Giants, fresh off their stunning 110-104 win over Tokyo 2020 gold medallists USA, have been on fire at the World Cup. They are one of only two teams who are yet to be beaten at the tournament (the other being Germany), and based off their performances thus far look like strong favourites to earn a first medal at the World Cup since 2010, when they finished third.
FIBA World Cup 2023: USA go down 110-104 to Lithuania having already secured Paris 2024 berth
World No.6 Serbia went undefeated in group play in the first round, but threw away a 16-point lead against Italy in the second round to lose 78-76. The Eagles responded with a comfortable 112-79 win over the Dominican Republic to set up an entralling contest against Lithuania on Tuesday.
Italy vs USA | 5 September in Manila | 20:40 Local Time
The USA will look to bounce back from their loss to Lithuania — their first of the World Cup campaign — when they face Italy on Tuesday evening. The five-time world champions hold a 12-2 advantage over Italy in head-to-head matchups, and are the top scorers at the tournament with 101.4 points per game.
Anthony Edwards #10 of the United States controls the ball against Margiris Normantas #2 of Lithuania.
Italy, on the other hand, have found it tough to score at the World Cup, and are only averaging 80.8 points per game, which is 20th among all teams. However, Gli Azzurri have held their opponents to under 90 points in every one of their games so far and earned impressive wins over Serbia and Puerto Rico to advance from round 2 as Group I winners. Their defensive prowess will be tested to the limit when they take on the juggernaut that is the USA on Tuesday.
Germany vs Latvia | 6 September in Manila | 16:45 Local Time
Germany has arguably been the surprise team at this World Cup; Die Mannschaft finished 18th at the 2019 World Cup and 8th at Tokyo 2020, but are yet to lose at this tournament, recording huge victories over Australia and Slovenia while playing great team basketball on both ends of the court (third in steals (9.6) and assists (25.4) per game).
Andreas Obst #42 of Germany celebrates with Dennis Schroder #17
Their opponents on Wednesday afternoon will be the other surprise package at this World Cup: world No. 29 Latvia. Despite the absence of their top player in Kristaps Porzingis through injury, Latvia — who are playing in their first ever World Cup — have only suffered one loss in the competition (against Canada in the first round) while beating traditional powerhouses France (88-86) and Spain (74-69) to advance to the quarter-finals.
Canada vs Slovenia | 6 September in Manila | 20:30 Local Time
The final clash of the quarter-finals looks like an absolute cracker. Canada will surely be flying high after a thrilling come-from-behind 88-85 win over Spain on Sunday (3 September) evening; the win not only guranteed their passage to the knockout stages, but also ensured their participation at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as one of the top two finishers from the Americas at the World Cup.
Their reward is a date with the tournament's top scorer Luka Doncic (26.4 points per game) and Slovenia, who made their Olympic debuts two years ago in Tokyo, finishing fourth. They lost their first game of the World Cup against Germany on Sunday, but earlier wins against Australia and Georgia were enough for Slovenia to advance to face Canada.
How to watch the FIBA World Cup 2023 quarter-finals live
Action will be available to watch in selected territories via FIBA's streaming service Courtside 1891 Basketball. All games will be available on ESPN2 or ESPN+ in the United States, with Sportsnet screening the games in Canada.
Please check local listings for broadcast schedule in your territories.