Italy vs Puerto Rico, FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament, Today Match Prediction

Italy vs Puerto Rico Basteball Odds

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Italy

Italy’s women’s team kick off their final push for the 2026 FIBA World Cup. The Italian side will play their first game against the hosts, Puerto Rico. They last participated in the 2025 EuroBasket and had a semifinal run. Italy lost to Belgium in top-four and later, beat France to claim the 3rd spot in the competition. With a 5-1 record in EuroBasket, Italy should be proud of their performance. They are entering the qualifying round as Europe’s third-best team. 

Italy averaged 70.2 points per game and allowed 62.0 points per game. They shot 41.7% from the floor and 33.8% from the three-point line. They were fourth in blocks per game (2.8) and steals per game (9.5). Italy were the fourth-best side in three-point shooting. They have the least odds to qualify for the FIBA World Cup. Italy averaged the competition's lowest turnovers (9.8). 

Italy’s roster will be the same as they are eying a spot in the FIBA World Cup. After the EuroBasket, Italy also played an international friendly against Spain and won it. The Italian side’s three starters reached double figures against France in the 3rd place encounter. Due to the league experience, they have solid players in the offense. Cecilia Zandalasini could be an offensive threat against Senegal. The 29-year-old averaged 16.8 points in the 2025 EuroBasket and showed dominance on the court in her first two seasons. We are backing her to score 20 or more points in the home fixture.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico will eye a home advantage when they play all their FIBA World Cup qualifiers games at home arena. Their first clash is against in-form Italy. Puerto Rico recently participated in the 2025 AmeriCup and had a quarterfinal run. They lost to Argentina and finished sixth in the competition following a loss to Colombia. The hosts qualified for the 2022 World Cup and reached the last eight where they lost to Canada. 

Puerto Rico have a solid chance to take home advantage in the qualifiers. During the AmeriCup, they averaged 67.1 points per game and allowed 62.7 points per game. The hosts were shooting 35.6% from the floor and 31.3% from the three-point line. They ranked eighth in the blocks per game (2.3) and fourth in steals per game (8.1). 

Puerto Rico have announced a strong roster for the qualifiers. Pamela Rosado led the scoring against Colombia in the last game with 17 points, nine rebounds and 7 assists. Their key starters have played in different leagues. Arella Guirantes could be an offensive threat. The 28-year-old guard averaged 16.7 points in the 2025 AmeriCup. We back her to score 15 or more points in the upcoming fixture.

Italy vs Puerto Rico Starting Lineups

Italy vs Puerto Rico Match Prediction & Analysis

The Puerto Rico women’s team will play hosts to Italy in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers opening encounter. Puerto Rico are coming back on a decent run in AmeriCup, while Italy, currently on a roller-coaster campaign in FIBA competition, look to get a breakthrough victory. 

Current Standings: Both Italy and Puerto Rico will start their campaign for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. 

Head-to-Head Record (Last 5 Matches): One match listed between Italy and Puerto Rico. Italy won the only game, scoring 71 points per game and allowing 63 points per game. The average total between Italy and Puerto Rico in the last match is 134. 

Italy vs Puerto Rico Player Stats

ITALY vs PUERTO RICO
Winning Prediction

Italy head into the contest as the favourites to win this match considering the previous form in EuroBasket. We are backing Italy to win the game against the hosts. We also back both teams to score a probable 145 points with Italy reaching 70 or more points. 

Italy to win and cover the spread (-6.5).

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