Since 1953, FIBA has crowned its world champion every couple of years. The competition has a long history of dominance, with just four different nations having won the world championship. This year, the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup returns to Germany for the first time since 1998. Flashscore shows you what you need to know ahead of this year's tournament.
Where and when is the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup held?
The 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup is held in the German capital of Berlin. The tournament will be held across two venues: the Berlin Arena and Max-Schmeling-Halle.
The 14,500-capacity Berlin Arena has been a popular venue for top-level basketball, hosting three EuroLeague Final Fours between 2009 and 2024, the final knockout stages of EuroBasket 2022, and being the home to the NBA Berlin games. Two groups and the complete knockout stages will be hosted here.
The Max-Schmeling-Halle, which seats 9,000 spectators, will host two groups after hosting prominent volleyball and handball competitions in the past.
The tournament runs from Friday, September 4th, to Sunday, September 13th. The group-stage games will be played between September 4-7, with qualifications for the quarterfinals taking place on September 8th and 9th.
The quarterfinals will be played on September 10th, after which the tournament will come to a spectacular end with the semifinals, third-place play-off, and final taking place on September 12th and 13th.
The 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup groups
After the draw on April 21st, 2026, this is how the four groups of the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup turned out. Each team's FIBA Women's World Ranking is listed next to it.
Group A: Japan (10), Spain (6), Germany (11), Mali (18)
Group B: Hungary (19), South Korea (15), Nigeria (8), France (2)
Group C: Belgium (5), Australia (3), Puerto Rico (13), Turkey (16)
Group D: United States (1), Czech Republic (17), Italy (14), China (4)
The USA's 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup schedule
Arriving at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup on a 22-game winning streak, this is what the USA's schedule looks like.
*All times in ET
Friday, September 4th: USA - China (8.15 AM)
Saturday, September 5th: Italy - USA (2.45 PM)
Sunday, September 6th: USA - Czech Republic (2.45 PM)
If the USA win their group, they would play their quarterfinal against the second-placed team from Group B or the third-placed team from Group A on Thursday, September 10th. In the same scenario, USA will face the Group A winner, third-placed Group D team, or second-placed Group C team in the semifinals on Saturday, September 12th.
If the USA finish second in their group, they would face the third-placed team from Group C in the qualifications for the quarterfinals. They'd then face the Group B winners in the quarterfinals and the Group C winners, second-placed team from Group A, or the third-placed team from Group B in the semifinals.
If the USA finish third in their group, they'd face the second-placed team from Group C in the qualifications for the quarterfinals. If they win that game, they'd face the Group A winner in the quarterfinals before playing the second-placed team from Group B, the third-placed team from Group A, or Group D winners in the semifinals.
The USA's 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup roster
Coach Kara Lawson named her 12-player roster for the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. Stars A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum withdrew shortly before the tournament, citing health reasons.
The roster is filled with WNBA superstars, including Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark, while Breanna Stewart is gunning for her record-tying fourth gold medal.
The full USA roster:
#4 Paige Bueckers (G, Dallas Wings)
#5 Sonia Citron (G/F, Washington Mystics)
#6 Rhyne Howard (SF, Atlanta Dream)
#7 Kalheah Copper (G/F, Phoenix Mercury)
#8 Chelsea Gray (G, Las Vegas Aces)
#9 Kiki Irlafen (PF, Washington Mystics)
#10 Breanna Stewart (PF, New York Liberty)
#11 Napheesa Collier (SF, Minnesota Lynx)
#12 Caitlin Clark (G, Indiana Fever)
#13 Jackie Young (G, Las Vegas Aces)
#14 Aliyah Boston (C, Indiana Fever)
#15 Angel Reese (PF, Atlanta Dream)
Where to watch the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup
In the USA, the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup can be watched via TNT and its networks, meaning you'll be able to watch all 36 games through TNT, truTV or HBO Max.
The 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup can also be watched on DAZN US, where Courtside 1891 broadcasts all the games on a subscription basis.
A short history of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup
The undisputed queens of the basketball world are the United States of America. The Americans have absolutely dominated the competition since 1979, when they won their first gold medal since winning the first two editions in 1953 and 1957.
Since 1979, the USA have won 9 of the 12 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cups, including the last four in a row. Breanna Stewart was present for the last three titles, while Sue Bird reigned and still reigns supreme with four titles between 2002 and 2018.
Even better: the USA have lost just one game at a major international tournament since 1994, falling to Russia in the semifinals of the 2006 FIBA World Championship. The win-loss total comes down to a stunning 103-1 after the 1994 defeat to Brazil in the World Cup semifinals.
Despite losing just one major tournament since 1994, the USA have a big challenge ahead of them, coach Lawson told ESPN.
"I think there's no question that the world is improving at a rapid rate. It's so exciting to see, and I see it at every level. There's more depth to the teams at the World Cup. Now when you look at rosters, there's a number of just high-quality players. I think it's going to be the most difficult World Cup to win that we've had because of that."