FIBA World Cup 2023 Final: Early Preview for Germany vs. Serbia Championship

Germany and Serbia will play for the FIBA Basketball World Cup title on Sunday.

The two nations pulled off semifinal upsets over the United States and Canada to set up an all-European final in Manila.

Serbia is back in the final for the second time in three tournaments, while Germany is playing in its first-ever World Cup final.

Whichever team captures the gold medal will become the third different nation in the last five World Cups to win. The USA and Spain split the last four tournament victories.

FIBA Basketball World Cup Final Info

Date: Sunday, September 10

Start Time: 8:40 a.m. ET

Live Stream: ESPN+

Preview

Germany and Serbia were not expected to reach the final when the tournament began.

Summer Olympics host France, Spain, the United States and Canada were among the top teams mentioned to win the gold medal.

France crashed out in the group stage, Spain was eliminated by Canada in the second round and the USA and Canada stumbled in the semifinals.

Germany’s performance is the more surprising of the two. It went 5-0 in the first two rounds and continued that perfect run in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

NBA players Dennis Schroder, Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner and Daniel Theis have all been vital to the team’s success.

Schroder dished out nine assists in the semifinal win over the United States. He has been a consistent scorer and passer throughout the tournament. His only bad game came in the quarterfinals against Italy.

Franz Wagner picked up the scoring production for Schroder in the final-eight game, as he produced 16 points. Wagner’s two-way ability helped Germany hurt opponents on the wings.

The contributions from role players, like Andreas Obst, who scored 24 points in the semifinals, kept Germany consistent throughout the tournament.

Serbia is led by Bogdan Bogdanovic, who produced a game high 23 points in the semifinal win over Canada.

Bogdanovic turned in consecutive 20-point performances in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Serbia’s key during its run to the final has been its defense. It held a high-scoring Canada team to 86 points on Friday and limited Lithuania to 67 points in the quarterfinals.

Serbia needs to limit Schroder and Franz Wagner’s production from the perimeter in order to capture the title.

Germany will come away with its best-ever World Cup finish with a win or loss. Serbia is looking for its first gold medal in its current iteration. The country was part of two previous World Cup victories by the former nation of Yugoslavia.