Women's Basketball World Cup

2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup schedule: Dates, groups, teams and venues

The United States have learned their opponents in the preliminary round as they go in search of a fifth straight World Cup win.

ODD ANDERSEN

Roddy Cons

Digital sports journalist

Scottish sports journalist and content creator. After running his own soccer-related projects, in 2022 he joined Diario AS, where he mainly reports on the biggest news from around Europe’s leading soccer clubs, Liga MX and MLS, and covers live games in a not-too-serious tone. Likes to mix things up by dipping into the world of American sports.

Update: Apr 21st, 2026 13:56 EDT

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The United States has been drawn to play against Czechia, Italy and China in the preliminary round of the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, which will be held in Berlin, Germany, in September.

The U.S., the world’s top-ranked nation, heads into the 2026 tournament as the defending champion and clear favorite. Team USA has won the last four editions of the Women’s Basketball World Cup and has only failed to lift the trophy twice in the last four decades.

Preliminary round draw

Group A

Japan, Spain, Germany, Mali

Group B

Hungary, Korea, Nigeria, France

Group C

Belgium, Australia, Puerto Rico, Türkiye

Group D

USA, Czechia, Italy, China

THE #FIBAWWC GROUPS ARE LOCKED 🔒

How are your team’s chances looking? pic.twitter.com/ALUzNCMaax
— FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWWC) April 21, 2026

When is the 2026 Women’s Basketball World Cup?

The 20th edition of the Women’s Basketball World Cup tips off on September 4 and concludes with the gold-medal game on September 13.

Format: how teams reach the knockout stage

The top three teams in each group will qualify for the knockout phase, with group winners advancing directly to the quarterfinals.

The second- and third-placed teams from each group must go through a playoff round to reach the final eight.

2026 Women’s Basketball World Cup schedule

Preliminary round

Gameday 1: September 4

Gameday 2: September 5-6

Gameday 3: September 7

Knockout rounds

Playoff round: September 8

Quarterfinals: September 10

Semifinals: September 12

Third-place game: September 13

Final: September 13