Berlin Beckons: Women's World Cup Tips Off Friday With the USA Chasing Five Straight
The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup opens September 4 in Berlin, where a new-look American roster defends a streak that began in 2010.
The biggest women's basketball tournament outside the Olympics is four days away. The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup runs September 4-13 across two Berlin venues — Uber Arena and Max-Schmeling-Halle — with sixteen teams and one towering question: can anyone end the United States' run?
The streak
The Americans have won the last four World Cups, a streak stretching back to 2010, and arrive in Germany as favorites to make it five in a row. FIBA's roster tracker lists a US squad headlined by Aliyah Boston, Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark — a group whose core is a full generation younger than the one that won in Sydney in 2022. FIBA notes that published rosters remain provisional until the tournament opens.
The draw
The group stage breaks down like this: hosts Germany landed Mali, Italy and Hungary in Group A; the USA faces Puerto Rico, Belgium and South Korea in Group B; France and Spain headline a heavyweight Group C with Turkey and Nigeria; and Australia — bringing Ezi Magbegor, Alanna Smith and Steph Talbot, per FIBA — shares Group D with China, Canada and Czechia. The top two in each group advance to the quarterfinals.
Why Berlin matters
This is Germany's second time hosting, its first since 1998, and Europe has a record eight teams in the field. Group C alone could produce a medalist: France and Spain have long been the continent's two standard-bearers, and one of them is guaranteed a bruising path out of the group.
For everyone in this field, Berlin is also the first great measuring post on the road to LA28 — the tournament where the next Olympic contenders start declaring themselves.