The FIBA Women’s World Cup is officially headed our way: From the 4th of September until the 13th of September, 16 teams will battle in Berlin to determine who will be crowned as world champions. Between the likes of long-accustomed players such as A’ja Wilson, Marine Johannes, and Cecilia Zandalasini, young and emerging talents including Paige Bueckers, Dominique Malonga, Awa Fam, and many more have officially been announced to make their international debut for their respective senior national teams.
Within the past few years, lots has been reported on the growth in women’s sports, especially in the fields of basketball and football. Sydney, the host city of the last World Cup, recorded the highest attendance in tournament history, alongside breaking records in broadcast and social media reach. To accommodate the ongoing success, the FIBA Executive Committee approved, in 2022, the addition of four more teams to this year’s tournament, thereby further assuring that their recently shared goal of championing and investing in the women’s game is more than just lip service.
In an interview with ESPN, Andreas Zagklis, the FIBA secretary general, shared the fundamental thorough change designed to amplify success: „What was in the past a two-week tournament now is a two-year process of promotion of women’s basketball, a process that we believe will bring this game to the next level.“ By increasing the number of participating teams, and, therefore, assuring that the level of competition is at an all-time high along with a record-breaking crowd and record-breaking social media engagement expected to be repeated in Berlin, it should not be deemed premature to regard the upcoming tournament as the most exciting and competitive one yet, that you will surely not want to miss out on.
Which teams to keep an eye out for
1. Team DBB: The Germans
Led by the newly appointed head coach, Olaf Lange, the German squad is looking to defend home court in addition to establishing a winning culture. Prior to the last Olympics, their record in international play has reflected the struggles Germany faces when going up against highly skilled teams. Throughout the last 69 years, their column in EuroBasket play has accumulated multiple last standings and even failed through consecutive stretches of time to qualify for the tournament altogether, until finally breaking the stretch in 2023 and reaching the quarter-finals, to only then turn around two years later and come up fifth in the standings of the tournament. While their winning record has improved within the last few years, this will only be Germany’s second appearance at a World Cup due to receiving an automatic bid for being the host nation.
Lange and the rest of the coaching staff have employed a roster strategy, which relies heavily on key players who have long-standing experience either in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) or at the international level, in order to try and dethrone teams with dominant front- and backcourt play. Unfortunately, this strategy could now backfire due to two central pieces that are largely relied upon to make it far into the tournament having been sidelined because of long-term injuries.
Without the contributions of the forward, Satou Sabally, who made the FIBA All-Second Team in 2024, and the small forward, Leonie Fiebich, who are respectively averaging 19.8 PPG (Points Per Game), 7.2 RPG (Rebounds Per Game), 2.9 ASG (Assists Per Game), 12.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.0 ASG and a much shortened preparation time of only a few days due to players’ and the head coaches‘ WNBA commitment until August 31, the German national federation is in danger of occupying a standing long accustomed to.
2. Team “Opals”: The Australians
Alongside the United States, the Australian national team belongs to the most decorated women’s basketball teams in FIBA history. With 16 appearances at the World Cup and a culmination of six World Cup medals, one of them being gold, Australia is a team to look out for, even though their roster might suggest otherwise. From the early 2000s all the way to the last World Cup and Olympics, the 6’5″ center Lauren Jackson, who would at times play the position as a forward, was the undeniable force behind Australia’s dominant winning track record. A 4x WNBA MVP (Most Valuable Player Award) player and a fundamental piece for the Opals has since retired, leaving the Australian squad for the first time since withdrawing from the 2014 and 2018 World Cups without the presence of Jackson. This year’s roster consists of a fairly young veteran line-up in the guard, Stephanie Talbot, and the forwards, Ezi Magbegor and Alanna Smith, who have both been coming off of injuries forcing them to have a slow start to their WNBA season.
Surrounded by seven rookies that are set to make their World Cup debut, the lack of experience in the challenging, physically demanding senior-level competition is the most noticeable disadvantage for this year’s roster. Nevertheless, their rich history of winning in addition to the elite head coaching of Sandy Brondello could very well make this team the underdogs of this year’s tournament.
3. Team “Les Bleus”: The French
Les Bleus currently hold the second position in the FIBA World Ranking, right behind the United States. The last time the French women hoisted a World Cup medal was in 1953. Consequently, the leadership group underwent structural changes and thus handed the responsibility and offense of the team into the hands of the versatile guard, Gabby Williams, after the French squad failed to win the EuroBasket in 2021 in addition to further international competitions. Williams is ushering Les Bleus into a new era while simultaneously constructing the identity of the squad around her very own playmaking, which manifests itself on the defensive end of the ball to great success.
For the first time since 2012, the national team managed to reach the Olympic finals in 2024 and faced the United States, who have not lost a gold medal game since 1992. What was expected to be yet
Another dominant victory run for the United States turned into the most thrilling golden game matchup in years. Thanks to the tenacious and suffocating defense that the challengers presented, the United States was forced to adhere to the pace set by their opponent, which led them to struggle to get into an offensive flow, and, therefore, having to rely on the free throw line to find offensive production. Eventually, the United States pulled away in a fourth-quarter-buzzer-beater margin victory of 66-67 decided by Gabby Williams‘ foot on the three-point line. Instead of overhauling the silver-winning roster for failing to reach their
ultimate goal, the head coach, Jean-Aimé Toupane, has chosen to run it back with a similar group of players as the last time around. With their suffocating defense and high-volume three-point shooting guards like Marine Johannes, who stretches the floor offensively for her teammates, including the young phenomenon Dominique Malonga, the Les Bleus do not just belong among the favorites to reach the finals, where in all likelihood the United States will await. They furthermore possess all the tools in the world to dismantle the most dominant winning sports dynasty that is United States basketball.
4. Team USA
As a result of the infrastructure the USA Basketball Federation was forced to implement early for its female athletes, the talent disparity, which has only now started to decrease, was widened by a large margin in the women’s game. Today, the United States continues to set the standard for the game of basketball: The players have established a 30-game winning streak that dates back to the 2006 semifinals in Brazil, the last time a national roster selection lost a World Cup game. Whereas the rest of the competing teams succeed by strong individual performances, the key to America’s consistent showing, and what makes them equally so dangerous, is a committee-led approach style of winning. On the quest for their overall 12th title and fifth consecutive title, the US coaching staff constructed a roster consisting in the frontcourt of a former MVP, a runner-up for the aforesaid award, and the current best player in the world, A’ja Wilson, while the backcourt comprises offensive-minded playmakers with similarly impressive resumes. If there is one thing that can be guaranteed, it is that the United States will advance all the way through the gold medal game, where, if a rematch of the Paris Olympics final awaits, this time around the American squad could be brought to their knees for the first time in 16 years.
Where to watch
The global sporting event slates a schedule of 36 games that are set to air in select variations on either national television or on livestream, with ProSieben/Sat.1 and Joyn positioned as the airtime frontrunners, while ProSieben has acquired the rights for the tournament final.
In Germany, basketball public screenings continue to be a scarcity, even though a handful have been announced that are concentrated in Cologne. Those who do not want to miss out on what is going to be without a doubt a fierce, competitive and relentless tournament of nearly two weeks of women’s hoops can organize their very own World Cup watch party at home alongside friends and family.
