BRNO (Czechia) - The wait of two years is about to be ended as the showpiece FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup returns for its eagerly awaited 2026 edition, starting on July 11 in the Czech city of Brno.
Here is a breakdown on everything you need to know about the biennial tournament, with one of the 16 competing teams ultimately getting to raise the prestigious trophy on Sunday July 19.
How did the teams qualify for the 2026 edition?
With Czechia guaranteed their spot as hosts, the other teams booked their tickets to the 2026 competition via their respective Continental U16 competitions.
USA, Canada, Mexico and Colombia came through the FIBA U16 Women's AmeriCup 2025. Egypt and Côte d'Ivoire secured their tickets via the FIBA U16 Women's AfroBasket 2025.
Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China got their spots through the FIBA U16 Women's Asia Cup 2025. Finally, Spain, Slovenia, Germany, Latvia and Italy arrive after excelling at the FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket 2025.
What is the format?
The 16 teams in the competition were drawn into four groups of four teams. All teams will play each of the other nations in their group in round robin style in the Group Phase over the first three days of action in Brno.
Group A: Australia, Côte d'Ivoire, Latvia, USA Group B: China, Germany, Mexico, Spain Group C: Colombia, Czechia, Japan, Slovenia Group D: Canada, Egypt, Italy, New Zealand
All 16 teams advance to the Knockout Phase, starting with the Round of 16. The top finisher in Group A takes on the fourth placed team from Group B (A1 vs B4), then A2 vs B3, A3 vs B2 and A4 vs B1. The same crossover process takes place among the Group C and Group D teams.
You will find more info about the competition system here.
For more information about the host city, visit the destination page for Brno and check out the event guide.
Which players are stepping out?
The Roster Tracker is the one-stop destination for all National Federation roster announcements.
Who won it last time around?
USA continued their dominance of the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup at the 2024 edition as Jerzy Robinson landed MVP honors.
She secured her nation their sixth title in seven editions.
You can also find the all-time list of medalists here.
Which players have appeared in this tournament in the past?
Hundreds of outstanding players have competed in this event since its inaugural competition in 2010. Here is a look back at the Top 20 ballers of all time in the competition.
Also, you can vote on who you think is the #FIBAU17 GOAT and who will win the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2026.
Where can I buy tickets?
Tickets for the games can be purchased here.
Do you want more information about the participating teams?
Make sure to check out our review on the 16 participating teams and we also looked at every team and tried to argue why they could win the crown.
Our social media team will be hard at work to give you the best coverage possible on dedicated NextGenHoops channels, including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
You should also look out for #FIBAU17 and make sure you include the hashtag on your posts too!
FIBA