The 2026 FIBA Girls’s World Cup suggestions off in Berlin, Germany on Friday, Sept. 4 with an eight-game slate.

However earlier than projecting winners for the opening day of video games (which start fairly early for these primarily based in the US), it’s price offering a reminder of the match format. All 16 nationwide groups have been drawn into 4 teams:

The winners of every of the 4 teams will advance on to the quarter-finals. The second- and third-place groups should qualify for the quarter-finals by profitable a single-elimination sport on Sept. 8 or 9, with the format scheduled to be:

From there, the match will observe a standard bracket, with the quarter-finals on Sept. 10, two semi-finals on Sept. 12 and the championship remaining and a third-place sport on Sept. 13.

Now, on to the opening video games. In the US, all video games will probably be accessible to stream by HBO Max, except for Workforce USA’s video games, in addition to a choose few different video games, which will probably be broadcast on TNT and/or truTV.

Within the feedback, be sure you give your prediction about Workforce USA and the remainder of the sphere.

Group C: Australia vs. Puerto Rico (5:30 a.m. ET, HBO Max)

Australia is the final non-American crew to win World Cup gold, triumphing 20 years in the past within the 2006 version of the match.

Within the 20 years since, nevertheless, the Aussies have sacrificed their standing as the largest challenger to the US.

Nonetheless, with the frontcourt measurement of Alanna Smith and Ezi Magbegor, together with Chloe Bibby, Australia ought to have a transparent benefit over a principally undersized Puerto Rican aspect, though former WNBA participant Imani McGee-Stafford is suiting up for Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico additionally might need probably the most explosive scorer on this sport with one other former WNBA participant in Arella Guirantes.

The Opals capacity to win this sport with relative ease, in addition to announce themselves as professional challengers for one thing brighter than a bronze medal, depends on a scoring menace rising from their younger backcourt. Will or not it’s Jade Melbourne, who has but to have a breakout second in inexperienced and gold on the worldwide stage? Or, possibly Isobel Borlase, who was the high-scoring WNBL MVP earlier than becoming a member of the Atlanta Dream?

Group A: Japan vs. Mali (5:30 a.m. ET, HBO Max)

Count on Japan to play with their attribute model of high-execution basketball, with their expert precision greater than compensating for his or her measurement and/or athleticism limitations.

Mai Yamamoto will probably be main the best way, all along with her signature smile, spunk and taking pictures.

To have probability, Mali should marshal their athletic benefits to check the Akatsuki.

A minimum of belief a never-shy Sika Koné to showcase the eagerness and aggressiveness she all the time demonstrates throughout her brief stints of taking part in time with the Dream. Sira Thienou, who performed two seasons at Ole Miss earlier than transferring to Auburn, additionally provides Mali one other participant with the potential to trigger some bother for Japan along with her scoring pop.

Group B: South Korea vs. Nigeria (6:30 a.m. ET, HBO Max)

That is the primary World Cup for Nigeria since 2018. In these intervening years, the D’Tigress have established themselves as a crew that can not be taken evenly.

After qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, they superior to the quarter-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. They’ve additionally received five-straight AfroBasket titles, courting again to 2017.

Ezinne Kalu has been the engine for the D’Tigress. She will probably be supported by various gamers with WNBA and/or high-level NCAA expertise, together with Amy Okonkwo, who’s now with the Portland Fireplace after a number of stops across the W in current seasons.

Outdoors of Jihyun Park, who has spent this season with the Los Angeles Sparks, solely Ji-Su Park has W expertise for South Korea.

Group D: United States vs. China (8:15 a.m. ET, TNT/truTV)

A face acquainted to Workforce USA is not going to be suiting up for China, as a misplaced passport is stopping Li Yueru from representing China.

Han Xu, nevertheless, is in Berlin for the Chinese language, with the 6-foot-11 Han anticipated to share a frontcourt with 7-foot-3 Ziyu Zhang, who’s simply 19 years outdated.

The Individuals can’t match the scale of the Chinese language. However with their ability and athleticism, they need to not have an issue punishing the shortage of mobility of China’s bigs.

Workforce USA can spam various pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop mixtures, because the roster is flush with gamers able to dealing with the ball, taking pictures off the dribble, popping for a 3, working out of the brief roll or rolling all the best way to the ring. The Individuals can actually trigger the Chinese language issues with double-drag actions the place one screener pops and the opposite rolls, creating tons of motion within the offensive halfcourt that exploits China’s defensive limitations.

That’s if the US must play within the halfcourt.

Oftentimes, transition offensive fuels Individuals dominance, as Workforce USA turns up the defensive strain, generates takeaways and scores with ease on the opposite finish. This sport shouldn’t deviate from that script.

Group C: Belgium vs. Türkiye (11:30 a.m. ET, HBO Max)

Final time most US-based ladies’s basketball followers watched Emma Meesseman, she had joined the New York Liberty for the stretch run of the 2025 season, envisioned as the last word distinction maker because the Liberty chased back-to-back WNBA championships.

The Liberty flopped, with Emma by no means actually discovering her type or footing with New York.

However, low cost FIBA Emma at your individual peril!

She and the Belgian Cats, coached by longtime WNBA head coach Mike Thibault, is perhaps the largest menace to Workforce USA. The back-to-back EuroBasket Girls champs, Belgium performs a related, cohesive fashion fashionable basketball with a bunch of gamers sporting rising WNBA expertise.

Türkiye’s lone WNBA participant is Kennedy Burke, though Sevgi Uzun, who frolicked within the W throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons, is also a key piece for the Turkish crew.

Group A: Spain vs. Germany (11:45 AM, truTV)

Can homecourt benefit reverse Spain’s current dominance of Germany?

In main competitions, the Spanish repeatedly have triumphed, most just lately in final summer time’s EuroBasket Girls competitors, the place 20 factors from Raquel Carrera led Spain to a virtually 20-point win. Whereas Germany was with out Nyara Sabally in that one, Spain additionally didn’t have Megan Gustafson DiLeo.

The likes of Leonie Fiebich and Frieda Bühner would possibly have to hit all their pictures for the house crew to get a win.

And if the Awa Fam breakout occurs, Germany actually might be in bother.

Group D: Czechia vs. Italy (2:15 p.m., HBO Max)

Italy has extra names who’re acquainted to US-based followers, headlined by Golden State Valkyrie Cecilia Zandalasini and former WNBA participant Lorela Cubaj, however Czechia has an edge within the all-time sequence between the 2 nationwide groups, profitable six of the eight matchups.

Most just lately, Czechia received the EuroBasket Girls qualifier performed in Feb. 2025, 74-69.

Czechia’s Eliška Joklová, now of the Minnesota Lynx, performed little in that win. We’ll see if she will contribute to a different Czech victory.

Group B: Hungary vs. France (3 p.m. ET, truTV)

If France goals to threaten the dominance of the US as a lot as they did on the Paris Olympics, profitable this match in convincing vogue is a should.

Whereas the French aspect is more and more blessed with WNBA expertise, Hungary comes right down to Dorka Juhász.

And though FIBA Dorka is totally different, as she has confirmed because the reigning EuroLeague Girls MVP and by main Hungary into their first World Cup since 1998 with a number of monster performances in qualifiers, she isn’t totally different sufficient to beat all of the French can throw on the Hungarians. That’s very true since Juhász has not rediscovered her greatest type since struggling an harm throughout the EuroLeague Girls playoffs.

For France, probably the most pleasure ought to come from whether or not or not Dominique Malonga throws down a dunk.