BERLIN (Germany) - It has been an incredible rise to prominence on the big stage for Belgium and they now an opportunity to continue their upwards trajectory by landing a first FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup medal.
In what will be only a third appearance in the famous competition, they will be one of the teams expected to shine and push for their maiden podium step at a global event.
The Cats are also likely to gain even more followers and fans if they continue to play the kind of dynamic and exciting brand of basketball that has already lit up so many previous FIBA events.
How they qualified
Belgium secured their place by taking a direct ticket thanks to the successful and dramatic defense of their FIBA Women's EuroBasket crown last year. They won back-to-back titles by beating Spain 67-65 in an all-time classic Final.
However, they still participated in the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournaments.
FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament (Wuhan, China) Gameday 1: Brazil 70-99 Belgium (W) Game Report Gameday 2: Belgium 80-65 China (W) Game Report Gameday 3: Belgium 81-50 Mali (W) Game Report Gameday 4: South Sudan 64-102 Belgium (W) Game Report Gameday 5: Belgium 93-50 Czechia (W) Game Report
Women's World Cup pedigree
Number of participations (including 2026): 2
Last participation: 2022 (5th)
Best finish: 4th (2018)
Podium finishes: None
Current FIBA World Ranking for Women, presented by Nike: 5th
Last 10 FIBA events
Year | Event | Location | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
2025 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Piraeus, Greece | 1st |
2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 4th |
2023 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Ljubljana, Slovenia | 1st |
2022 | FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup | Sydney, Australia | 5th |
2021 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Valencia, Spain | 3rd |
2020 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 7th |
2019 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Belgrade, Serbia | 5th |
2018 | FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup | Tenerife, Spain | 4th |
2017 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Prague, Czechia | 3rd |
2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Did not participate |
The Group Phase
The Cats will step out in Group C and it will be European rivals Türkiye who they will face first in Berlin, with both teams having evaded each other in major tournaments for the last five years.
They will be expected to blast past Puerto Rico and will then lock horns with fellow group favourites Australia.
This also presents them with the chance to extract revenge for an agonizing loss in the Bronze Medal Game at Paris 2024.
Group Phase Games
Belgium vs Türkiye (Sep 4) Puerto Rico vs Belgium (Sep 6) Belgium vs Australia (Sep 7)
Players to watch
Already a bonafide legend, Emma Meesseman will look to continue being a tour de force for the Cats and lead her team to another historical accomplishment. Not only as the marquee baller for Belgium but as one of the blockbuster stars of the entire tournament.
Her scoring, rebounding, passing skills, defense, clutch ability and leadership remain priceless and anything is possible with the forward on the floor.
Julie Allemand is now recognized as one of the best playmakers in the global game and continues to get better each and every year. She tied the competition's game-high assists record on debut in 2018 and has never looked back.
She will direct traffic for the Cats, dish out her usual flurry of dimes and do often overlooked defensive work, having set a new record for steals in the Qualifying Tournament in Wuhan where she was named TISSOT MVP.
Fear and Hope
While Belgium are not a one-player team by any means, they do rely so heavily on the absolute brilliance of Emma Meesseman.
Already one of the greats of the modern era, if she is unavailable for any reason for games, or even during critical parts of key games, that will be a huge fear.
Especially with such fine margins at the elite level between success and failure.
The hope is that they have the players (especially in the core rotation) and a head coach in Mike Thibault to get the job done and realize their ambition. Their ability to move the basketball is arguably the best on the planet and they are also fine-tuning their defensive capabilities.
It would be a huge disappointment for the Cats if they don't get onto the podium for the first time at what will be their fifth appearance on a senior global stage.
FIBA