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2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup

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2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup
Basketball-Weltmeisterschaft der Frauen 2026
#WeOwnTheGame!
Tournament details
Host countryGermany
CityBerlin
Dates4–13 September
Teams16 (from 4 confederations)
Venues2 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions United States (12th title)
Runners-up France
Third place Spain
Fourth place Germany
Tournament statistics
Games played36
Attendance234,004 (6,500 per game)
MVPUnited States Breanna Stewart
Top scorerBelgium Emma Meesseman (21.0 ppg)
← 2022
2030 →

The 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup was the 20th edition of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for women's national basketball teams, sanctioned by FIBA. The tournament was hosted in Berlin, Germany, from 4 to 13 September 2026.[1] This was Germany's second time hosting after previously organising the event in 1998, after being awarded the hosting rights in spring 2023.

Sixteen teams took part in the tournament, four more than the previous edition but returning to the same number as was between 1990 and 2018. The hosts automatically qualified. Qualifiers were decided via a mixture of continental champions and teams progressing from the qualifying tournaments. Hungary and Italy returned after long absences.

The United States were the four-time defending champion, and retained the title after a finals win over France.[2] It also represented the second final between those teams at an international event since the 2024 Summer Olympics gold medal match.

Host selection

[edit]

The following countries expressed interest in hosting:

During its Central Board meeting in Manila, Philippines, on 28 April 2023, FIBA announced that Germany would host the upcoming World Cup in 2026.[6] It was the second Women's World Cup to be held in the Germany after the 1998 tournament.

Qualified teams

[edit]
  Team qualified
  Team participated in the Qualifying Tournaments but failed to qualify
  Team failed to qualify
  Team suspended
  Did not enter

Expansion

[edit]

On 25 March 2022, following a review of the current FIBA women's basketball system, FIBA expanded the World Cup back to 16 teams after reducing the teams to 12 teams in 2022.[7] The expansion brought the numbers of teams that qualified back to the same count as the World Cups between 1990 and 2018.

Qualification

[edit]

Germany as the hosts automatically qualified for the tournament in April 2023. Each winner of the continental championship qualified. All other teams played in a qualifying tournament after finishing as the top teams during their regional tournament. A total of 24 teams played in those qualifying tournaments for the remaining eleven spots.[8]

Qualified teams

[edit]
2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournaments played in China, France, Puerto Rico and Turkey

Of the sixteen teams who qualified, nine took part in the previous edition. For the first time since 1990, no teams debuted at this edition. Of the seven returnees, Italy and Hungary came after long absences after last appearing in 1994 and 1998 respectively. Hosts Germany also returned after their only appearance was hosting in 1998. Czech Republic made an appearance after missing out on the previous two editions. Spain and Turkey progressed this time round after failing to advance in 2022, while Nigeria took part after withdrawing in 2022.

Of the absentees, the most notable absentee is 2022 fourth place finishers Canada, who failed to qualify for the first time since 2002 after missing out on a three way tie in the Qualifying Tournaments. 2022 debutants, Bosnia and Herzegovina, alongside Serbia, couldn't qualify after their sporadic appearances in 2022.

After the Qualifying Tournaments, the regional team split as follows: eight from Europe, four from Asia and Oceania and two from Africa and Americas. Europe's eight teams breaks their record of most European teams at a single World Cup (previously held by 1957 with seven); while on the other hand, Americas' two representatives (Puerto Rico and United States) marks the lowest number of teams at the World Cup from the region since 1967 (in which only 11 teams competed).

Mali qualified for a second successive edition for the first time, while Belgium and Puerto Rico continue their qualification streaks since their debuts in 2018. South Korea and the United States continue their longest active qualification streaks with 18 and 17 respectively.

The highest ranked team to not qualify was Canada, ranked 7th, while the lowest ranked team to qualify was Hungary, ranked 19th.

QualificationHostDatesVacanciesQualified
Host nationN/A28 April 20231 Germany
Winner of EuroBasket Women 2025Czech Republic Brno / Germany Hamburg
Greece Piraeus / Italy Bologna		18–29 June 20251 Belgium
Winner of 2025 Women's AmeriCupChile Santiago28 June – 6 July 20251 United States
Winner of 2025 Women's Asia CupChina Shenzhen13–20 July 20251 Australia
Winner of 2025 Women's AfrobasketIvory Coast Abidjan26 July – 3 August 20251 Nigeria
Qualifying TournamentsChina Wuhan11–17 March 20263 China
 Mali
 Czech Republic
Puerto Rico San Juan3 Italy
 Spain
 Puerto Rico
Turkey Istanbul3 Hungary
 Turkey
 Japan
France Lyon2 France
 South Korea

Summary of qualified teams

[edit]
Team Qualification method Date of qualification Appearance(s) Previous best performance[A] WR[B]
Total First Last Streak
 Germany Host nation 28 April 2023 2nd 1998 1 Eleventh place (1998) 11
 Belgium Winner of EuroBasket Women 2025 29 June 2025 3rd 2018 2022 3 Fourth place (2018) 5
 United States Winner of 2025 Women's AmeriCup 6 July 2025 19th 1953 17 Champions (Eleven times)[C] 1
 Australia Winner of 2025 Women's Asia Cup 20 July 2025 17th 1957 16 Champions (2006) 3
 Nigeria Winner of 2025 Women's Afrobasket 3 August 2025 3rd 2006 2018 1 Eighth place (2018) 8
 France Qualified through Qualifying Tournaments 14 March 2026 12th 1953 2022 7 Third place (1953) 2
 Spain 8th 1994 2018 1 Runners-up (2014) 6
 China 15 March 2026 12th 1983 2022 12 Runners-up (1994, 2022) 4
 South Korea 18th 1959 18 Runners-up (1967, 1979) 15
 Italy 6th 1967 1994 1 Fourth place (1975) 14
 Mali 17 March 2026 3rd 2010 2022 2 Eleventh place (2022) 18
 Czech Republic 4th 2006 2014 1 Runners-up (2010) 17
 Turkey 3rd 2014 2018 1 Fourth place (2014) 16
 Japan 10th 1964 2022 5 Runners-up (1975) 10
 Hungary 6th 1957 1998 1 Fifth place (1957) 19
 Puerto Rico 3rd 2018 2022 3 Eighth place (2022) 13

Venues

[edit]

The tournament was played in Berlin across two venues.[9]

Berlin Berlin
Berlin Arena Max-Schmeling-Halle
Capacity: 14,000 Capacity: 9,000

Preparations

[edit]
  • The senate (city-state government) in Berlin decided to allocate €6 million to the event.[13]
  • On 13 March 2026, for the second edition in a row, Spanish basketball legend Pau Gasol was named the global ambassador for the tournament.[14]

Marketing

[edit]
[edit]

The logo was unveiled on 12 August 2024.[15] According to FIBA, the logo is supposed to depict "Berlin's status as a united metropolis that loves to party and celebrate".[16]

Mascot

[edit]

The mascot, "Bearlina", was revealed during the HipHop Ball at Red Town Hall on 15 November 2025. Bearlina is a bear (which is featured on the coat of arms of Berlin), whose design represents the lifestyle of the host city, including elements of punk, hip hop, graffiti art, and the design of the basketball used for FIBA competitions.[17]

Draw

[edit]
The Kraftwerk in Berlin hosted the draw.

The draw took place on 21 April 2026 at 18:00 CET at the Kraftwerk in Berlin.[18][19][20] The draw was hosted by American actress, Brittney Elena, and German presenter, Matthias Killing [de]. Australian basketball legend, Lauren Jackson, German handball player, Stefan Kretzschmar and breakdancer Jilou were the guests and assisted with the draw. The draw started with, in order, pots 1, 2, 3 and 4 being drawn, with each team selected then allocated into the first available group alphabetically. The position for the team within the group would then be drawn (for the purpose of the schedule). Before the draw, hosts Germany were pre-drawn into Group A. Regarding restrictions, a maximum of two teams from Europe are allowed in each group, while a maximum of one team from Africa, Americas and Asia/Oceania will be drawn in each group.

2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup – Draw
YouTube logo
video icon Draw Live Stream

Seeding

[edit]

The seeding was revealed on 16 April 2026.[21] The seeding was based on the FIBA Women's World Ranking as of 1 April 2026.

Pot 1
Team Pos
 Germany (H)11
 United States1
 France2
 Australia3
Pot 2
Team Pos
 China4
 Belgium5
 Spain6
 Nigeria8
Pot 3
Team Pos
 Japan10
 Puerto Rico13
 Italy14
 South Korea15
Pot 4
Team Pos
 Turkey16
 Czech Republic17
 Mali18
 Hungary19

Draw results

[edit]
Group A
PosTeam
A1 Japan
A2 Spain
A3 Germany (H)
A4 Mali
Group B
PosTeam
B1 Hungary
B2 South Korea
B3 Nigeria
B4 France
Group C
PosTeam
C1 Belgium
C2 Australia
C3 Puerto Rico
C4 Turkey
Group D
PosTeam
D1 United States
D2 Czech Republic
D3 Italy
D4 China

Schedule

[edit]
Schedule[22]
Round Gameday Date
Preliminary round Gameday 1 4 September 2026
Gameday 2 5–6 September 2026
Gameday 3 7 September 2026
Final round Qualification to quarterfinals 8–9 September 2026
Quarter-finals 10 September 2026
Semi-finals 12 September 2026
Third place
Final		 13 September 2026

Referees

[edit]

The long list of 38 referees was announced on 2 April 2026.[23] The final list of 28 referees was revealed on 13 August 2026.[24]

  • Basketball Australia James Griguol
  • Basketball Australia Ruben Woolcock
  • Brazilian Basketball Confederation Alan dos Santos
  • Bulgarian Basketball Federation Ventsislav Velikov
  • Canada Basketball Waseem Husainy
  • Canada Basketball Maripier Malo
  • Chinese Basketball Association (organisation) Sun Jian
  • Croatian Basketball Federation Martin Vulić
  • Federación Ecuatoriana de Basquetbol Carlos Peralta
  • Estonian Basketball Association Mihkel Männiste
  • French Federation of Basketball Yohan Rosso
  • Federación Nacional de Baloncesto de Honduras Orlando Varela
  • Japan Basketball Association Takaki Kato
  • Latvian Basketball Association Gatis Saliņš
  • Fédération Malgache de Basket-Ball Yann Davidson
  • Basketball New Zealand Martin Davison
  • Norwegian Basketball Association Viola Györgyi
  • Federación Panameña de Baloncesto Julio Anaya
  • Polish Basketball Federation Paulina Gajdosz
  • Polish Basketball Federation Wojciech Liszka
  • Puerto Rican Basketball Federation Johnny Batista
  • Puerto Rican Basketball Federation Julirys Guzmán
  • Basketball Federation of Serbia Petar Pešić
  • Basketball Federation of Slovenia Boris Krejić
  • Spanish Basketball Federation Ariadna Chueca
  • Turkish Basketball Federation Çisil Güngör
  • Uruguayan Basketball Federation Aline García
  • USA Basketball Blanca Burns

Squads

[edit]

Each team consists of twelve players.

Preliminary round

[edit]

All times are local (UTC+2).[22]

Classification of teams

[edit]
  1. Highest number of points earned, with each game result having a corresponding point:
    • Win: 2 points
    • Loss: 1 point
    • Loss by default: 1 point, with a final score of 2–0 for the opponents of the defaulting team if the latter team is not trailing or if the score is tied, or the score at the time of stoppage if they are trailing.
    • Loss by forfeit: 0 points, with a final score of 20–0 for the opponents of the forfeiting team.
  2. Head-to-head record via points system above
  3. Point difference in games among tied teams
  4. Points for in games among tied teams
  5. Point difference in all group games
  6. Points for in all group games

Group A

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  Spain 3 2 1 235 194 +41 5[a] Quarterfinals
2  Germany (H) 3 2 1 210 199 +11 5[a] Qualification to quarterfinals
3  Japan 3 1 2 219 250 −31 4[b]
4  Mali 3 1 2 237 258 −21 4[b]
Source: FIBA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. 1 2 Spain 83–53 Germany
  2. 1 2 Japan 102–97 Mali
4 September 2026
Japan 102–97 Mali
Spain 83–53 Germany
5 September 2026
Mali 82–73 Spain
Germany 74–58 Japan
7 September 2026
Japan 59–79 Spain
Germany 83–58 Mali

Group B

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  France 3 3 0 305 178 +127 6 Quarterfinals
2  Hungary 3 2 1 206 239 −33 5 Qualification to quarterfinals
3  South Korea 3 1 2 241 258 −17 4
4  Nigeria 3 0 3 204 281 −77 3
Source: FIBA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
4 September 2026
South Korea 99–81 Nigeria
Hungary 53–99 France
5 September 2026
Nigeria 67–71 Hungary
France 95–69 South Korea
7 September 2026
Hungary 82–73 South Korea
Nigeria 56–111 France

Group C

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  Belgium 3 3 0 245 207 +38 6 Quarterfinals
2  Australia 3 2 1 225 205 +20 5 Qualification to quarterfinals
3  Puerto Rico 3 1 2 193 217 −24 4
4  Turkey 3 0 3 217 251 −34 3
Source: FIBA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
4 September 2026
Australia 70–54 Puerto Rico
Belgium 89–75 Turkey
6 September 2026
Turkey 71–87 Australia
Puerto Rico 64–76 Belgium
7 September 2026
Belgium 80–68 Australia
Puerto Rico 75–71 Turkey

Group D

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  United States 3 3 0 254 177 +77 6 Quarterfinals
2  China 3 2 1 206 215 −9 5 Qualification to quarterfinals
3  Italy 3 1 2 166 180 −14 4
4  Czech Republic 3 0 3 188 242 −54 3
Source: FIBA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
4 September 2026
United States 94–61 China
Czech Republic 54–63 Italy
6 September 2026
China 74–70 (OT) Czech Republic
Italy 52–55 United States
7 September 2026
United States 105–64 Czech Republic
Italy 51–71 China

Knockout stage

[edit]
 
Qualification roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
 
              
 
9 September
 
 
 Italy80
 
10 September
 
 Australia82
 
 Australia66
 
 
 Spain89
 
 
12 September
 
 
 Spain66
 
 
 United States76
 
 
10 September
 
 
 United States108
 
8 September
 
 Hungary56
 
 Hungary84
 
13 September
 
 Japan63
 
 United States97
 
9 September
 
 France79
 
 Puerto Rico72
 
10 September
 
 China75
 
 China61
 
 
 France90
 
 
12 September
 
 
 France86
 
 
 Germany64 Third place
 
 
10 September13 September
 
 
 Belgium74 Spain81
 
8 September
 
 Germany93  Germany58
 
 Germany94
 
 
 South Korea56
 

Final

[edit]
13 September 2026
20:00
United States  97–79  France
Scoring by quarter: 17–20, 26–25, 30–12, 24–22
Pts: Stewart 22
Rebs: Stewart 10
Asts: Gray, Young 5		 Pts: Malonga 21
Rebs: Malonga 6
Asts: Williams 7
Berlin Arena, Berlin
Attendance: 12,233
Referees: Julio Anaya (PAN), Ariadna Chueca (ESP), Gatis Saliņš (LAT)

Final standings

[edit]
United States trophy ceremony
Rank Team GP W/L
1st place, gold medalist(s) United States66–0
2nd place, silver medalist(s) France65–1
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Spain64–2
4th Germany74–3
Eliminated in Quarterfinals
5th Belgium43–1
6th Australia53–2
7th China53–2
8th Hungary53–2
Eliminated in Qualification round
9th Italy41–3
10th South Korea41–3
11th Puerto Rico41–3
12th Japan41–3
Eliminated in Group Stage
13th Mali31–2
14th Turkey30–3
15th Czech Republic30–3
16th Nigeria30–3
Qualified for the 2028 Summer Olympics

Statistics and awards

[edit]

Statistical leaders

[edit]

Players

[edit]

Teams

[edit]

Awards

[edit]

The awards were announced on 13 September 2026.

AwardPlayer
All-Tournament First Team[27]Spain Iyana Martín
Germany Leonie Fiebich
United States Breanna Stewart
France Gabby Williams
United States Jackie Young
All-Tournament Second Team[28]Belgium Emma Meesseman
France Janelle Salaün
Germany Nyara Sabally
Australia Stephanie Talbot
China Han Xu
Most Valuable Player[27]United States Breanna Stewart
Best Defensive Player[29]France Gabby Williams
Rising Star[30]Spain Iyana Martín
Best Coach[31]Spain Miguel Méndez

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Bold text indicates they hosted that edition.
  2. ↑ World ranking at start of tournament.
  3. ↑ United States have won in 1953, 1957, 1979, 1986, 1990, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026: Deutschland erhält Zuschlag!". German Basketball Federation. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "Comeback Queens USA go five in a row at Women's World Cup". fiba.basketball. 13 September 2026. Retrieved 13 September 2026.
  3. ↑ "ARGENTINA BUSCARÁ SER SEDE DEL MUNDIAL FEMENINO 2026". Cancha Latina. 3 August 2022.
  4. ↑ "Rio de Janeiro tem Pan de 2031 nos planos esportivos da cidade".
  5. ↑ "FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 – Der DBB ist an einer Bewerbung als Ausrichter interessiert". bblprofis.de. 22 September 2022. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  6. ↑ "Germany to host the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026". FIBA. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "FIBA Central Board approves expansion of Women's World Cup 2026". FIBA.basketball.
  8. ↑ "Qualification Tracker: Who has punched their ticket to the Women's World Cup 2026?". fiba.basketball. 19 June 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  9. ↑ "Event Guide – Berlin, Germany – FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 | FIBA Basketball". www.fiba.basketball.
  10. ↑ "Venues – Berlin Arena – FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 | FIBA Basketball". www.fiba.basketball.
  11. ↑ "2026 FIBA Damen Basketball WM live at Uber Arena". Uber Arena. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Venues – Max-Schmeling-Halle – FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 | FIBA Basketball". www.fiba.basketball.
  13. ↑ "Sportmetropole Berlin unterstützt die Ausrichtung des FIBA Women's Basketball World Cups 2026". berlin.de. 12 March 2024.
  14. ↑ "Spain legend Pau Gasol named Global Ambassador for FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026". FIBA Basketball. 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  15. ↑ "Logo für FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 enthüllt". German Basketball Association (DBB).
  16. ↑ "FIBA and global icon Sue Bird launch the brand for FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026" (Press release). FIBA. 12 August 2024.
  17. ↑ "Meet Bearlina, the official mascot of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026" (Press release). FIBA. 15 November 2025.
  18. ↑ "Stage set for a celebration of basketball in Berlin on April 21". fiba.basketball. 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  19. ↑ "Berlin ready as FIBA welcomes guests for Draw and Hall of Fame Ceremony". www.fiba.basketball. 21 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "Lineup confirmed for FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 in Berlin". www.fiba.basketball. 21 April 2026.
  21. ↑ "FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Draw principles set". fiba.basketball. 16 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  22. 1 2 "Game schedule" (PDF).
  23. ↑ "Long-list of Referees announced for FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "FIBA confirms referees for FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  25. ↑ Player statistics
  26. ↑ Team statistics
  27. 1 2 "Breanna Stewart makes history as two-time Women's World Cup TISSOT MVP". fiba.basketball. 13 September 2026.
  28. ↑ "Women's World Cup 2026 All-Second Team". fiba.basketball. 13 September 2026.
  29. ↑ "Gabby Williams is Women's World Cup 2026 Best Defensive Player". fiba.basketball. 13 September 2026.
  30. ↑ "Iyana Martin is the Women's World Cup 2026 Rising Star". fiba.basketball. 13 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "Miguel Mendez is the Women's World Cup 2026 Best Coach". fiba.basketball. 13 September 2026.
[edit]
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