2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Odds & Predictions

We are just hours away from the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. The international tournament takes place every four years. This year's World Cup will take place in Berlin, Germany, as 16 countries will battle for gold, silver, and bronze medals. In this article, you will find the current odds, my best bets, and predictions for the World Cup that will run from Sept. 4 through Sept. 13.

(Photo by Brandon Todd /NBAE via Getty Images)

The tournament is just shy of two weeks long, with USA (-400) and France (+800) the top two countries that are heavily favored. Let's not forget when Team USA defeated France in the 2024 Olympic games. Other countries set to participate include Belgium, Australia, Spain, China, and more. This year's tournament includes over 50 current WNBA players across 15 countries.

All 16 countries are divided into four groups: A, B, C, and D. Group A will feature Spain, Germany, Japan and Mali. Group B includes France, Korea, Hungary, and Nigeria. Australia, Belgium, Puerto Rico and Türkiye make up Group C. In conclusion, Group D features USA, Czechia, Italy, and China. Matchups will take place from Sept. 4 through Sept. 7. Qualification to Quarterfinals will run from Sept. 8 through Sept. 9, while the Quarterfinals (Sept. 10) and Semifinals (Sept. 12) will run through that weekend.

Both the third-place game and the Championship game will take place on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Headline Team USA at FIBA World Cup

Prominent WNBA stars such as Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, and more headline Team USA, while France features Gabby Williams, Dominique Malonga, Marine Johannes, and more. Notably, Kelsey Plum and A'ja Wilson will not play for Team USA. Additionally, Li Yueru will not play for China due to a passport issue.

Furthermore, Awa Fam leads Spain while Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally will represent Germany. For Australia, the roster includes Ezi Magbegor, Alanna Smith, and more.

Team USA has won four straight gold medals from 2010 to 2022. Overall, USA has won the FIBA World Cup gold medal eight times since 1986. While the United States has historically dominated the tournament, the race for silver medal has been more competitive.

Let's take a look at the FIBA World Cup opening odds, my best bets, and predictions. This will include the favorite, a sleeper pick, past winners, and who I think will win gold in 2026.

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2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Odds (DraftKings)

Past FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Winners (Since 1986)

The Favorite

USA: -400 (DraftKings)

There's no doubt in my mind that Team USA is stacked. USA has two dominant, but young guards in Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. Then you add the "Point Gawd" Chelsea Gray, who made her FIBA World Cup debut in 2022. They are part of Group D this year.

The landscape changes a bit now that Kelsey Plum and A'ja Wilson have pulled out of the tournament. While replaced with Washington Mystics' teammates Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, USA loses exceptional scoring, size, and rim protection from Wilson. Without Plum, USA loses a pure point guard with a lightning-quick release and ability to get downhill and score.

With that, Aliyah Boston, Bueckers, Citron, Iriafen, Clark, Rhyne Howard, Angel Reese, Jackie Young and Napheesa Collier will all make their World Cup debuts. Only Gray, Breanna Stewart, and Kahleah Copper have prior experience.

Don't let that fool you, this roster is strong. Out of 12 players, the average age is 25.1 years old and this group has a combined 20 NCAA and WNBA championships. If Stewart wins gold in 2026, she will tie Sue Bird, her former teammate, for the most. A 6-foot-4 rim protector who can stretch the floor, Stewart has averaged 10.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in her World Cup career according to FIBA.

Don't Count Out the Young Players

Speaking of "Young and Turnt," don't let this young group fool you! Clark won MVP in the FIBA World Cup Qualifying in Puerto Rico.  And according to FIBA stats, USA has always thrived on new players entering the tournament. Since 1998, Team USA has been averaging 6.6 new players per World Cup every four years. So while nine is a bit high, I wouldn't look too far into it.

When it comes to those nine new players, they average nearly 18.1 points per game, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game in the WNBA this season. That said, from Bueckers to Clark, every new player is averaging at least 15+ points per game in the WNBA in 2026. Two of those, including Boston and Reese, average over 8.0 rebounds per game. In addition, Young, Clark, and Bueckers all average over 5.0 assists per game for their respective 2026 WNBA teams.

Speaking of a young group, it helps that several teammates have previous USA experience and chemistry. According to FIBA, 19 USA Basketball gold medals were earned at the FIBA junior levels by Bueckers, Citron, Howard, Collier, Stewart, Clark, and Boston. Additionally, several players have earned gold medals at U16 Women's AmeriCup, Youth Olympic Games and more.

Team USA's Strengths

Team USA has the perfect blend of size, shooting, and facilitators in Bueckers, Clark and Gray. Boston stands 6-foot-5, and Collier, Stewart, Iriafen, and Reese should be more than enough in the interior. Off ball, Team USA has incredible depth with Jackie Young, Rhyne Howard, and Sonia Citron.  Not to mention, there's plenty of two-way players and high-volume scorers.

USA will play China, Italy, and Czechia in the first three games. As I mentioned before, USA finished 5-0 in the qualifiers and defeated Italy by 34 points, 93-59. Boasting an average win total of +42, we also saw USA defeat Spain 84-70. I do think if both sides can get there, France will be Team USA's biggest competition.

• Although this is a different team, USA finished 5-0 in Qualifiers earlier this year, and I believe in the stardom, and most importantly, depth. This team extends far beyond five starting players and is aiming for a fifth-straight FIBA World Cup gold medal. Given the odds are so lengthy at -400, there's significant risk on betting on USA. A $50 bet on USA would pay out $62.50. Perhaps wait until the tournament starts to see if there's any value or line movement for the United States. 

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Sleeper

France: +800 (DraftKings)

France enters the FIBA World Cup with the second-best odds (+800) to win the tournament on DraftKings. History doesn't favor France, who is searching for its first gold or silver medal in World Cup history. In fact, they had a disappointing run, finishing seventh in 2022.

Fortunately, much has changed for France in recent years. As mentioned before, France was inches away from beating the United States in the gold medal match in 2024. Now they roster some very prominent names and some of the best in the World.

Seriously, France has some real hoopers. Let's start with the backcourt: Marine Johannes and Pauline Astier already have chemistry as teammates on the New York Liberty. We are talking about a lethal sharpshooter in Johannes, who's shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc this season in New York. Then there's Astier, a young, energetic guard who uses her speed in getting downhill.

Talk about shooting! Did I mention that France rosters Janelle Salaün, a sharpshooter for the Golden State Valkyries? A lethal force off the bench for Golden State, Salaün is averaging 12.9 points, while shooting 39.7% from deep in the WNBA this season.

And then we can't forget about the potential Defensive Player of the Year, Gabby Williams, who also plays for the Valkyries. Williams is one of the best two-way players in the game, and is a Swiss Army Knife for any team she plays for. In the W this season, she's averaged just under 15 points per game, to go along with 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 steals.

France additionally has sharpshooters in Migna Toure, Leila Lacan, and Roman Bernies. When we look at this guard rotation, France is absolutely stacked. But holding it down at center is 6-foot-5  Dominique Malonga. Malonga is a rim protector, but also moves like a guard and can space the floor. In fact, we saw her score 21 points in 19 minutes during Group Phase in November.

France certainly has shooters, depth, defense, and guard strength. In fact, they most likely have one of the deepest rosters in the tournament. Malonga is the tallest player on this roster, but plenty of other players bring versatility, including Salaün (6-foot-2) and Marième Badiene at 6-foot-3. I still think Team USA has the advantage as far as frontcourt strength goes.

Similar to Team USA, France finished 5-0 at qualifiers, defeating the Philippines, Germany, Nigeria, South Korea, and Colombia by an average of +29 points.

A part of Group B, France will face Nigeria and South Korea again, along with Hungary. In Puerto Rico, France barely scraped by Nigeria 93-86, but defeated South Korea 89-62.

• France is a steal here and absolutely a sleeper at +800 odds. DraftKings gives them an 11% implied chance to win the World Cup, but this roster is exceptional. In fact, France averaged 94.0 points in the qualifying games. I like their chances even more now that Kelsey Plum and A'ja Wilson are out for Team USA. If anyone is going to beat the USA, it very well could be France. 

Long-Shot

Belgium: +1000 (DraftKings)

At +1000 odds, I'm going with Belgium as my long-shot pick for the FIBA World Cup. Anytime Emma Meesseman is on a roster, the team must be considered.

Meesseman is one of the most decorated international players in basketball. Her experience in both the WNBA and overseas is extensive, as she's a two-time EuroBasket MVP and EuroLeague MVP. Not to mention, this isn't her first World Cup appearance. She not only made her debut for Belgium in 2018, but averaged 12.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in qualifiers early on.

The only accolade missing from her trophy case is a FIBA World Cup gold medal.

While Julie Vanloo hasn't made a return to the WNBA again this season, she's a dominant guard who can shoot the lights out and then there's Julie Allemand, who plays for the WNBA's Toronto Tempo.  At the end of the day, Belgium has a core trio and Allemand scored double-digit points in three of five qualifying games.

I like the value here, as Belgium finished a perfect 5-0 at qualifiers in Wuhan. Defeating China, Mali, Czechia, South Sudan, and Brazil, this team posted a +31.2 average margin of victory. In addition, Allemand was named MVP!

Placed in Group C, Belgium is set to play Puerto Rico, Türkiye, and Australia, which might be a tough matchup for them. Of all 16 teams, Belgium is a long-shot, but there's great value here.  This team has enough scorers, and don't sleep on Kyara Linskens, who is 6-foot-3, and averaged 15.0 points and 7.2 rebounds in Group phase. While I don't think this roster can beat USA or France, sprinkling a unit on them is worth it. Remember to bet responsibly.

My FIBA World Cup Best Bet & Prediction

• USA to win the 2026 FIBA World Cup