BERLIN (Germany) - Missing the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 in Sydney was a bitter pill to swallow for Spain who had secured medals in the three previous editions.
In fact it was more than that, it was a devastating shock and blow to one of the leading women's basketball nations in the global game. But the good news is that Spain are back and ready to make some serious noise again.
With several senior players likely to be driven by that disappointment of not featuring in Australia four years ago and with some exciting new talents appearing for the very first time on a global FIBA stage, Spain could be in the mix amongst the podium challengers.
How they qualified
They secured their place by punching a ticket via the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament in San Juan. They did what was required early in winning their first three games, although once qualified, they faded when losing to Italy, before being beaten by USA as anticipated.
FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament (San Juan, Puerto Rico) Gameday 1: Spain 99-50 New Zealand (W) Game Report Gameday 2: Senegal 51-84 Spain (W) Game Report Gameday 3: Spain 91-52 Puerto Rico (W) Game Report Gameday 4: Spain 68-56 Italy (L) Game Report Gameday 5: Spain 70-84 USA (L) Game Report
Women's World Cup pedigree
Number of participations (including 2026): 8
Last participation: 2018 (3rd)
Best finish: 2nd (2014)
Podium finishes: 🥈(2014),🥉(2010, 2018)
Current FIBA World Ranking for Women, presented by Nike: 6th
Last 10 FIBA events
Year | Event | Location | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
2025 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Piraeus, Greece | 2nd |
2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 5th |
2023 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Ljubljana, Slovenia | 2nd |
2022 | FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup | Sydney, Australia | Did not participate |
2021 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Valencia, Spain | 7th |
2020 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 6th |
2019 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Belgrade, Serbia | 1st |
2018 | FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup | Tenerife, Spain | 3rd |
2017 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Prague, Czechia | 1st |
2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 2nd |
The Group Phase
Spain have a fascinating Group and tip off with one of the most eagerly anticipated matchups, when they face hosts, Germany. It's twice in little over a year the teams will face each other, with Spain having come out on top on German soil in Hamburg at FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025. They will be expected to despatch Mali but will have to be focused, and will also be favorites against Japan, although will be acutely aware of how dangerous they are.
Group Phase Games
Spain vs Germany (Sep 4) Mali vs Spain (Sep 5) Japan vs Spain (Sep 7)
Players to watch
There is huge excitement at the prospect of rising star duo Awa Fam and Iyana Martin making their FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup debuts. The former has already expressed her excitement and will make a splash in the paint after lighting it up in the paint at FIBA Women's EuroBasket last year. Similarly, Martin is likely to provide the main source of scoring production from the guard spots and has an amazing mentality to harness if things get tough.
Spain could have one of the best frontcourts around, since they also have a tremendous scoring and rebounding threat with Megan Gustafson. The naturalized star will likely take a starting spot, and that will push the highly-rated Raquel Carerra to re-discover her top form under the basket. Meanwhile winger Maria Conde will be hugely important and has been playing some of the best basketball of her career in recent times.
Fear and Hope
The fear is probably only backcourt scoring if Martin cannot deliver as expected. There is a lot of experience but more in terms of creativity and defense. There is a question mark if Spain have the clutch ballers and specifically the shooters for the biggest moments.
The hope is that the Spanish DNA of agressive defense, togetherness and the reputation of beating a tough assignment for opponents all over the floor will push them deep. They have a great mix of veterans and rising stars, with that potentially superb frontcourt rotation giving them a concrete foundation to push for honors.
FIBA