MEXICO CITY (Mexico) – Group A at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Mexico City certainly gets the “group of death” label heading into the competition. Korea (13th), Mali (20th) and Czechia (23rd), who are 3 of the Top 4 national teams in the event according to the women’s FIBA World Ranking Presented by Nike, all landed in the same zone and, at most, only 2 of them will advance to the Semi-Finals. These teams will be competing for a spot in one of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournaments taking place in March 2026.
The Favorite: Korea
The Asian representative in the tournament brings the most experience at the international level. Korea qualified to the 2020 Olympic Games and are currently on a streak of 16 consecutive appearances at the FIBA Women’s World Cup, dating back to 1964. They’re coming off a disappointing showing at the 2023 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, where they finished 5th behind a 2-3 record that included a loss to New Zealand (a Group B member). Guard Park Ji-hyun led the way with averages of 14 points and 2.4 steals, while center Park Ji-su notched 8.4 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.6 blocks.
The Underdog: Venezuela
Venezuela has yet to qualify for a worldwide competition, but they’ve been slowly taking steps in the right direction in recent years. The South Americans finished 6th in each of the last 2 FIBA Women’s AmeriCups and have a clear weapon in small forward Daniela Wallen. The 29-year-old led the 2023 AmeriCup in scoring at 21 points per game while shooting 51.3 percent from the field. She also finished 8th in rebounds (7.3) and 9th in assists (3.2). Veterans Mariana Duran and Waleska Perez are also expected to be available.
The Pivotal Game: Czechia v Mali
This duel between similarly ranked opponents could easily determine who stays alive in the tournament and who heads back home. The Europeans, who used to be a fixture at the international level, haven’t made the Olympics since 2012 or the World Cup since 2014. However, they finished in an encouraging 7th place at the EuroBasket Women 2023 and intend to keep building ahead of the 2025 event, where they’ll be one of the 4 host nations. Mali had been mired in a similar downturn after making the 2008 Olympics and the 2010 World Cup but returned to the world stage at the 2022 World Cup in Australia. Unfortunately, they ended the competition winless (0-5 record).
The Open Question: Could upsets be around the corner?
By design, each team of the group comes from a different continent and corner of the world. This could set up a clash of styles that could upend the natural order and throw rankings out the window.
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Don’t forget to check the Group B Preview. FIBA