Discover the best basketball predictions for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with gold medal favourites, medal predictions and betting odds for each section of the Olympic Games tournament. Will anyone be able to stop the US monopoly over both the men’s and women’s tournaments?
The Olympic Games are getting ready for another vibrant edition of the basketball tournament, which will feature a huge roster of stars, headed by the American men’s and women’s teams. The action in the Olympic basketball runs from 27th July to 11th August. Are you ready to enjoy the basketball and check our predictions for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games?
Paris 2024 basketball tips
The USA are very strong favourites in both the men’s and women’s categories. The men have won 16 of the previous 20 Olympic tournaments, including seven of the eight tournaments since 1988. In Athens 2004, Argentina created a major upset by defeating the United States in the semi-final before beating Italy in the final.
The women have been just as formidable, winning each of the previous seven Olympic tournaments, and nine of the last 10.
The preliminary matches will be held at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille, whilst the playoffs and final will be hosted at the Accor Arena in Paris.
Can anyone prevent the USA teams from winning both tournaments? Let’s have a look!
Favourites for the basketball in Paris 2024
The United States, as the defending champions and leading power in both categories, are the hot favourites to win the gold medals in the men’s and women’s basketball. However, we’ll take a look at some of the other teams who will be hoping to win a medal at the Paris Olympic Games.
Men’s Olympic basketball predictions
In the men’s category, the dominance of the United States is so evident that they are a very short price favourite to win the gold medal. Coach Steve Kerr has a wealth of NBA stars to count on, with a squad that includes legends such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. Can anyone challenge the United States team?
Here’s a full list of the outright odds before the start of the men’s Olympic basketball tournament:
- USA @1.16
- Canada @ 12.00
- France @ 13.00
- Serbia @ 19.00
- Germany @ 26.00
- Greece @ 26.00
- Australia @ 36.00
- Spain @ 76.00
- Brazil @ 151.00
- Japan @ 201.00
- Puerto Rico @ 401.00
- South Sudan @ 401.00
With Argentina winning gold against the odds in 2004, which nations will be hoping to cause a similar upset in Paris?
Canada: Not many would suggest Canada as realistic winners, given that their only previous basketball medal was silver in 1936. They have also not competed in the men’s tournament since Sydney 2000. However, their squad boasts a handful of NBA stars, and they finished third in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, beating the USA 127-118 after overtime to claim third place.
France: Runners-up in Toyko 2020, the French lost the final to the US by a score of 87-82. They failed to qualify from their first-round group in the 2023 World Cup, which included a 30-point loss to Canada. Although they will be buoyed by home advantage, the French will do well to make successive finals.
Germany: Winners of the 2023 World Cup, Germany won all eight matches as they claimed the title. They defeated the United States 113-111 in the semi-final, before becoming World Champions with an 83-77 victory over Serbia. However, the Germans have failed to win a medal of any colour in any of the previous men’s Olympic tournaments.
Serbia: Runners up at both the 2023 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics, Serbia will be looking to challenge for one of the lesser medals. However, they couldn’t have asked for a harder start, with their opening group match being against the USA. Despite that, they look much stronger than the other two teams, so they should qualify for the knockout rounds.
Australia: They took the bronze medal in Tokyo 2020 and qualified for Paris through being the top FIBA Oceania team in the 2023 World Cup. However, Australia were only ranked 10th overall in the final standings, and another podium finish here will be a tough ask.
Women’s Olympic basketball predictions
In the outright betting on the women’s tournament, the United States are very short odds to win yet another title.
Here’s a full list of the outright odds before the start of the women’s Olympic basketball tournament:
- USA @1.083
- Belgium @21.00
- China @21.00
- Australia @23.00
- Spain @26.00
- France @26.00
- Japan @ 26.00
- Canada @ 29.00
- Serbia @ 67.00
- Nigeria @ 101.00
- Germany @ 251.00
- Puerto Rico @ 501.00
Will any of the other teams be able to challenge for gold? Here’s a round-up of some of the nations with their eyes on a medal:
Belgium: They are the current European champions after winning the 2023 EuroBasket, beating Spain 64-58 in the final. In their only previous Olympics appearance, at Tokyo 2020, they finished seventh and were decisively eliminated by Australia in the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIBA World Cup.
China: The Chinese were defeated by the USA in the 2022 World Cup final and lost a friendly series 4-1 against Australia and Japan last month. The women know there will be more pressure on them to do well after the Chinese men’s team failed to qualify for the second successive Olympics.
Australia: The recent friendly series win over China will have boosted Australian confidence, especially after they lost to the Chinese by just two points in the World Cup semi-finals. They then decisively beat Canada by 30 points in the third-place match. That matched their performance in Tokyo 2020, in which they also finished third to win a bronze medal.
Spain: Runners-up in the 2023 EuroBasket, Spain also have a reasonable record in recent Olympics. They won silver in Rio 2016, after losing 101-72 to the United States in the final. In Tokyo 2020, they had the misfortune to face the US in the quarter-finals. Despite being a closer match, a 14-point defeat saw the Spanish exit at that stage.
France: The home nation will hope the partizan crown can inspire the French to another final, after losing out to the USA by just five points in the gold-medal match in Tokyo 2020 . They also finished third in the 2023 EuroBasket and will be fighting hard for a medal.
Basketball schedule for the Olympic Games 2024
Unlike the Olympic football tournament, the basketball competition format is the same for both categories, with three groups of four teams. The top two in each group and the two best third-placed teams advance to the quarter-finals as the race for medals intensifies.
Paris 2024 men’s basketball tournament groups
In the men’s category, Group A looks to be the most competitive, with all of the four of the teams in contention to progress. In Group B, France and Germany look the strongest teams, whilst in Group C, the USA and Serbia are clear favourites to reach the knockout rounds.
Group A
- Australia
- Greece
- Canada
- Spain
Group B
- France
- Germany
- Japan
- Brazil
Group C
- Serbia
- South Sudan
- Puerto Rico
- USA
Paris 2024 women’s basketball tournament groups
With all 12 participants confirmed, the standard of the three groups is excellent, and a dynamic fight to reach the knockout rounds is expected. With the USA clear favourites and almost certain to qualify, the remaining teams will have to fight hard in the group stage, where head-to-head matches and point differentials will be crucial in shaping the Olympic medal picture.
Group A
- Serbia
- Spain
- China
- Puerto Rico
Group B
- Canada
- Nigeria
- Australia
- France
Group C
- Germany
- USA
- Japan
- Belgium
Men’s basketball match betting odds for the Olympic Games Paris 2024
Let’s go even deeper into the Olympic basketball tournament as we delve into the roadmaps for both categories. You will have access to a myriad of betting markets for each match with Marathonbet. This is what the group stage looks like:
All match times in GMT.
Australia 🆚 Spain [27/07 – 09:00]
Germany 🆚 Japan [27/07 – 11:30]
France 🆚 Brazil [27/07 – 15:15]
Greece 🆚 Canada [27/07 – 19:00]
South Sudan 🆚 Puerto Rico [28/07 – 09:00]
Serbia 🆚 United States [28/07 – 15:15h]
Spain 🆚 Greece [30/07 – 09:00]
Canada 🆚 Australia [30/07 – 11:30]
Japan 🆚 France [30/07 – 15:15]
Brazil 🆚 Germany [30/07 – 19:00]
Puerto Rico 🆚 Serbia [31/07 – 15:15]
United States 🆚 South Sudan [31/07 – 19:00]
Japan 🆚 Brazil [02/08 – 09:00]
Australia 🆚 Greece [02/08 – 11:30h]
Canada 🆚 Spain [02/08 – 15:15h]
France 🆚 Germany [02/08 – 19:00h]
Puerto Rico 🆚 United States [03/08 – 15:15h]
Serbia 🆚 South Sudan [03/08 – 19:00h]
Women’s basketball match betting odds for the Olympic Games Paris 2024
All match times in GMT.
Spain 🆚 China [28/07 – 11:30]
Serbia 🆚 Puerto Rico [28/07 – 19:00]
Nigeria 🆚 Australia [29/07 – 09:00]
Germany 🆚 Belgium [29/07 – 11:30]
Canada 🆚 France [29/07 – 15:15]
United States 🆚 Japan [29/07 – 19:00]
Puerto Rico 🆚 Spain [31/07 – 09:00]
China 🆚 Serbia [31/07 – 11:30]
Japan 🆚 Germany [01/08 – 09:00]
Australia 🆚 Canada [01/08 – 11:30]
France 🆚 Nigeria [01/08 – 15:15]
Belgium 🆚 United States [01/08 – 19:00]
China 🆚 Puerto Rico [03/08 – 09:00]
Serbia 🆚 Spain [03/08 – 11:30]
Japan 🆚 Belgium [04/08 – 09:00]
Canada 🆚 Nigeria [04/08 – 11:30]
Germany 🆚 USA [04/08 – 15:15]
Australia 🆚 France [04/08 – 19:00]
2024 Olympic basketball: medal predictions
Of the six medals at stake, two seem assured if we look at the history and potential of the teams. However, here are our predictions for the teams that will join the United States on the basketball podium in Paris 2024.
Olympic Games basketball: men’s medal forecast
Led by James, Durant and Curry, in what is expected to be their last major event at international level, the United States team, coached by Steve Kerr, are the undisputed favourites, and it would take a major upset for them not to win the gold medal.
All the other nations include at least one player currently playing in the NBA, and it’s likely to be a tight battle for the minor honours.
The big unknown is how the quarter-final draw and subsequent brackets will work out, as there will be a draw after the preliminary group stage has been completed. All the qualifying teams will hope to be drawn in the opposite half of the draw to the Americans.
So, with that consideration in mind, Germany and Serbia could be the nations to take silver and bronze.
Olympic Games basketball: women’s medal forecast
The dominance of the United States has been even greater in the women’s category, as they have won seven consecutive golds. Cheryl Reeve also has a plethora of stars at her disposal, including Breanna Stewart, Aj’a Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Brittney Griner and the legendary 42-year-old, Diana Taurasi.
However, as we have seen, the fight for the other two Olympic medals is much more open than in the men’s tournament. France and Australia may have the best chances, but their chances will once again depend on where the United States sit in the playoff brackets.
Basketball betting markets for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris
Explore the wide variety of markets and odds that Marathonbet offers you when selecting your basketball bets for the Olympic Games.
What is 3×3 basketball?
In the Summer Olympics, there is a second basketball competition, 3×3 basketball. This variant was introduced in the Toyko 2020 Olympics and originates from street basketball. It is played on one half of a basketball court, between two teams of three players each.
In Tokyo, the 3×3 basketball medals were distributed as follows:
Men’s 3×3 tournament:
- Gold Medal – Latvia
- Silver Medal – Russian Olympic Committee
- Bronze medal – Serbia
Women’s 3×3 tournament:
- Gold Medal – United States
- Silver Medal – Russian Olympic Committee
- Bronze medal – China
Basketball calendar for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
With the schedules for both tournaments complementing each other from the first round to their respective finals, from the start of the Olympic Games to the gold medal game on Sunday, 11th August, there is only one day without basketball in Paris 2024: Monday, 5th August. Here are all the dates:
Group stage
Men: 27th July – 3rd August
Women’s: 28th July – 4th August
Quarter-finals
Men’s: 6th August
Women’s: 7th August
Semi-finals
Men’s: 8th August
Women’s: 9th August
Bronze medal match
Men’s: 10th August
Women’s: 11th August
Final
Men’s: 10th August
Women’s: 11th August
To think of the Olympic Games is to think of major sports or athletics. However, the large number of disciplines allows us to also enjoy other exciting sports, such as handball, badminton, table tennis and volleyball.
Follow all the action at the Paris Olympics 2024: basketball, football… and much more!
*Odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change thereafter.
Will you be following the Olympics? Check out our other betting guides: football, tennis and handball.
