BERLIN (Germany) - It's a staggering 73 years since France won their one and only medal at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup and it feels like this could finally be the time to end a painfully long wait.
One of the leading lights in the women's global game, their current status as frontrunners to land on the podium is highlighted by their occupation of second place in the FIBA World Ranking for Women, presented by Nike.
Having pushed USA all the way in the gold medal game at Paris 2024 and with almost all of their big-hitters back in situ, France look like they have what it takes to be a success in Berlin.
How they qualified
France posted a superb unbeaten campaign as hosts of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament in Lyon-Villeurbanne. They made light work of collecting five victories in as many games, cheered on by an enthusiastic and appreciative home crowd.
FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament (Lyon-Villeurbanne, France)
Gameday 1: France 115-66 Philippines (W) Game Report Gameday 2: Colombia 48-88 France (W) Game Report Gameday 3: Germany 63-85 France (W) Game Report Gameday 4: France 93-86 Nigeria (W) Game Report Gameday 5: Korea 62-89 France (W) Game Report
Women's World Cup pedigree
Number of participations (including 2026): 12
Last participation: 2022 (7th)
Best finish: 3rd (1953)
Podium finishes: 🥉(1953)
Current FIBA World Ranking for Women, presented by Nike: 2nd
Last 10 FIBA events
Year | Event | Location | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
2025 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Piraeus, Greece | 4th |
2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 2nd |
2023 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Ljubljana, Slovenia | 3rd |
2022 | FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup | Sydney, Australia | 7th |
2021 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Valencia, Spain | 2nd |
2020 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 3rd |
2019 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Belgrade, Serbia | 2nd |
2018 | FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup | Tenerife, Spain | 5th |
2017 | FIBA Women's EuroBasket | Prague, Czechia | 2nd |
2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 4th |
The Group Phase
The feeling of deja vu will be strong for France after they were placed in Group B with Korea and Nigeria who they faced in the Qualifying Tournament earlier this year. They produced two victories and will be expected to repeat this outcome on German soil. They will start out against fellow Europeans Hungary in a mouth-watering matchup.
Group Phase Games
Hungary vs France (Sep 4) France vs Korea (Sep 5) Nigeria vs France (Sep 7)
Players to watch
Packed with big names, there's no looking past the stardust brought by both Marine Johannes and Gabby Williams. They are the ballers who are most likely to push France towards overdue glory in this competition. The former is still entertaining more than anyone else in the global game and Williams is great leader who does it at both ends of the floor.
There will also be a big focus on the rising stars and not least, Dominique Malonga and Leila Lacan. The crazy length and athleticism of Malonga saw her famously throw down a dunk in the Qualifying Tournament, while the outstanding guard play of Lacan has her locked in as one of the most improved young guns in the women's game.
Fear and Hope
The hope for France is that they continue their momentum on the global stage after that big show at Paris 2024. They have the players, depth, competition for minutes, quality and experience to end their epic drought. Players like Valeriane Ayayi will be especially important as a leader within the group. They have what it takes to excel.
The big fear is that history is against them. In fact, you could maybe even now call it a World Cup curse because it is unfathomable they have not won a medal since the 1950's. Even more astonishing, they have not even made the Semi-Finals since then either.
FIBA