MUNICH (Germany) - As the dust settles on the excitement of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournaments, it's the perfect time for another edition of the Power Rankings.
With the dreams of eight nations having evaporated, the lineup has been chopped down to 16, as we start the countdown to the big show in Berlin.
Taking into account the results and performances at the Qualifying Tournaments, here's how our expert panel is calling it.
1. USA (-)
Unbeaten as expected, nobody laid a glove on the champions. The debuts of Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers went smoothly and they certainly both brought added attention to the action in San Juan, the former as TISSOT MVP.
Having picked up the baton, the duo will surely keep their spots. With Rhyne Howard also very impressive, it's also not exactly a newsflash that USA are the team to beat. Scarily, A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are still to add.
2. Australia (-)
It was an outstanding show from the Opals to go unbeaten in the toughest pool of all. They won close games by stepping it up and making plays at both ends of the court. Competiton is fierce for roster spots and it showed.
Starters or off the bench, the production was good and highlighted a depth of options for Coach Sandy Brondello. Hard-nosed and physical, smart, skillful and experienced, they looked great - led by TISSOT MVP Sami Whitcomb.
3. Belgium (+1)
The Cats were superb in Wuhan and especially when surgically dismantling home favorites China with passing and teamwork. A move up the rankings is deserved for their elite ball movement alone - but there's no space available.
It was a breath of fresh air against the over-dribbling tendencies of so many teams in the global game. Assists and steals records flowed, Julie Allemand pipped Emma Meesseman for TISSOT MVP and both were outstanding.
4. France (-1)
Even after losing Iliana Rupert to injury, France were dominant. Maybe it was more four-star than five, but they showed the potential to end a 73-year podium drought in Berlin. Their downward move is only to do with the Cats' climb.
Janelle Salaun certainly did put on show as TISSOT MVP and who didn't love Dominique Malonga dunking? With great support, a good time was had by all connected with the hosts in Lyon-Villeurbanne. Mission accomplished!
5. China (-)
With the hyping up of their 'Triple Towers,' it was ironic that guard Shuyu Yang was the one who made the All-Star Five. Although that is a massive positive to show everyone they are not only about height and power in the paint.
But did China live up to expectations performance-wise? They did the job with a ticket for Berlin, but they were well beaten by Belgium. It shows they have a lot of work to do to get back on the World Cup podium.
6. Italy (+4)
Having won a podium spot at FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025 for the first time in three decades, there was sense of deja vu with a first World Cup ticket for 32 years. What a nine months it has been. Cecilia Zandalisini stepped up!
She led them past Spain to seal their ticket. Lorela Cubaj also shone, but it was a nice team effort and they have other ballers who realize what's required at this level. With momentum, are they outshining Spain and Germany?
7. Spain (-1)
Qualifying with two games to spare, Spain took care of business early with a 3-0 start. Miguel Mendez won't like signing off 0-2 in the last days, especially losing to Euro rivals Italy. But, the performance against USA was positive.
Iyana Martin was in the limelight and despite being young, she can still make this team tick. Megan Gustafson did a good job in the paint and the likes of Maria Conde and Raquel Carrera make Spain a tough opponent in any game.
8. Germany (-1)
It was a nice showing from Germany on the whole, with four wins from five probably the anticipated return. Also it allowed Olaf Lange to get a first tournament under his belt during this second spell at the helm, which is priceless.
The big talking point has to be the sensational play of Frieda Buhner. What a player the rising star is proving to be on the biggest stage. Emily Bessoir also caught the eye and they still have some big guns to bring back for Berlin.
9. Nigeria (-1)
The African champions should not be getting cooked by Korea. A loss maybe, but it was a convincing defeat and along with losses to Germany and France, they stepped away from the competition with a losing 2-3 record.
The alarm bells won't be sounding for Rene Wakama. There were positives too. They rebounded well and were solid against France and Germany. But it was not Paris 2024 performance levels - are they saving those for Berlin?
10. Japan (-1)
Yes, they managed to scramble and eventually take a ticket, but that Japan roster surely should not be losing three games in a row. Even with the mitigation of it being a seriously tough pool of teams, they have to do much better.
Credit for saving themselves and it was good to see Mai Yamamoto in-form again, along with the emergence of younger players like Kokoro Tanaka. But they must see how they can improve for Berlin - starting with more steals.
11. Türkiye (-)
They may have had home advantage, but sometimes it's a curse rather than a comfort. Having made huge decisions with a new coach and a new player in the mix, they still qualified with a game to spare which is impressive.
Kennedy Burke did well with standout contributions in the wins against Canada and Japan, Sevgi Uzun was her inspirational self, while Olcay Cakir made pivotal plays. But a big loss to Hungary was a poor way to sign off.
12. Korea (+4)
One of the biggest movers in the rankings, it was record-breaking shooting ace Leeseul Kang who hit the nail on the head. She explained they're are not the fading force in global hoops some think and can be a contender again.
With her amazing shooting skills, as well as some good contributions from center Ji Su Park and Jihyun Park too, they were better than expected. The success against Nigeria was a real statement win by the Asian side.
13. Hungary (+4)
Hats off to Hungary. They certainly did it the hard way. From the Pre-Qualifying Tournament to beating Japan, to needing overtime against Argentina and dealing with a do-or-die last day against Türkiye and a memorable victory.
Back for the first time in 28 years at this level, anything is possible with All-Star Five member Dorka Juhasz hitting top gear. But to be fair, the support of ballers like Reka Lelik, Virag Takacs-Kiss and Debora Dubei was essential.
14. Czechia (-1)
They made it as anticipated, but it was a roller-coaster ride. They didn't have their fate in their own hands at the end and had to rely on China doing them a favor. This was mostly down to not shooting the ball well enough outside.
However, it's great to see another team from the first ever Pre-Qualifying Tournaments making it all the way to Berlin. The big plus point was fabulous rising star Emma Cechova coming to the party and making the All-Star Five.
15. Mali (+4)
Credit to Mali for their work in Wuhan which was built around a very impactful one-two punch of Maimouna Haidara and Sika Kone. Although critically, others stepped up at key times, which was a big difference-maker.
They might not have depth, but they compete well physically with most teams and have proven a tough nut to crack. In fact, bookmark this ... they might be a fly in the ointment for some of the higher ranked teams in Berlin.
16. Puerto Rico (-1)
They got it done in the end with two hard-fought wins against Senegal and New Zealand. But, it was a big struggle against the better teams and it should be concern heading to the main event when they will have to play better.
Not least, making more than 36 percent of their attempts from 2-point range. The positives were the defensive side in those crunch games they needed to win, as well as the integration of Imani McGee-Stafford into the mix.
Disclaimer: The Power Rankings are entirely subjective and are in no way a true, accurate ranking system. All comments are purely those of the author.
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