ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - Historically, finishing in the top two at the Women's AfroBasket was the most common way for African teams to qualify for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. However, there is now a new qualifying system.
In 2022, the FIBA Central Board approved expanding the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup to 16 teams. This decision gives more than two African teams a chance to qualify for the FIBA women's flagship tournament.
This is how it works for African teams:
In addition to crowning the continent's champions, the 2025 Women's AfroBasket will serve as a qualifier for four Women's Basketball World Cup qualifying tournaments, which will consist of six teams each. Sixteen teams will qualify for the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Germany through these tournaments.
The team that wins the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket will qualify directly for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026. They will also participate in the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournaments, in March 2026, along with the teams that finish second, third, and fourth in the final standings.
In total, Africa will have four representatives in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournaments.
The following teams have qualified for the Women's Basketball World Tournaments in the lead-up to the 2025 Women's AfroBasket:
National Team | How they qualified |
|---|---|
Germany | Hosts |
Czechia | Winners of FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournament - Mexico |
Hungary | Winners of FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournament - Rwanda |
Argentina; Brazil; Canada; Colombia; Puerto Rico; USA | Qualified as a Top 6 team at FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2025 |
Belgium; France; Italy; Spain; Türkiye | Qualified as a Top 5 team at FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025 |
FIBA