ESPN has sealed exclusive rights to broadcast the FIBA Men and Women’s World Cups, cementing its position as the home of basketball for Australian and New Zealand fans.
FIBA has struck a four-year deal with ESPN, giving fans across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands full access to the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027.
Every match from both tournaments will be shown live under the agreement, which sees ESPN expand its exclusive broadcast rights beyond Australia into new territories for the first time.
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The two World Cups will sit at the heart of ESPN’s basketball line-up, joining existing coverage of the NBA, WNBA and NBL, and follow the success of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 in Sydney. That event was heavily covered by ESPN and drew record engagement, which FIBA credits as its most successful staging of the tournament.
Fans will be able to watch the 2026 and 2027 World Cups in several ways. Games will stream on Disney+ through the ESPN tile, making them available in millions of homes across Australia and New Zealand. Matches will also be carried on Foxtel, Kayo Sports and Fetch TV in Australia, and through Sky in New Zealand. The new deal also ensures coverage in the Pacific Islands across the entire cycle — the first time FIBA tournaments will be distributed in the region.
Frank Leenders, Director General of FIBA Media and Marketing Services, said the expanded broadcast rights marked a breakthrough for the sport.
“It’s great to not only be continuing our existing partnership with a renowned global broadcaster like ESPN, but to have also secured market expansion.
This is excellent news for fans in the region who will benefit from increased opportunities to consume the kind of quality basketball content that ESPN delivers via a multitude of platforms.
The appetite for the sport in the likes of the Pacific Islands is growing rapidly, and so expanding the reach of FIBA basketball into even more homes will play its part in fuelling the ever-growing global popularity of the sport.”
Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand and Head of ESPN Asia-Pacific, said the upcoming World Cups would be a centrepiece for the network.
“We’re excited to continue our programming relationship with FIBA. This deal reinforces ESPN as ‘Home for Hoops’ and adds to our strong lineup of NBA, WNBA, NBL, WNBL and NCAA programming for Australian and New Zealand audiences.
There’s some great international basketball ahead with the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 and FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 secured, so hoops fans can follow all the action on our ESPN network, including ESPN on Disney+, as the Australian Opals and Australian Boomers take on the world.”
The fresh deal builds on a surge in basketball participation across the Pacific, where interest in the sport has been growing rapidly in recent years. By including the region for the first time, FIBA and ESPN are aiming to extend the global profile of the game and make both World Cups accessible to more fans than ever before.
The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 and FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 will be broadcast live on ESPN and Disney+ in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
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