MIES (Switzerland) - Recently inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and an iconic figure of female hoops, Sue Bird has shone a light on what it takes to be crowned a World champion.
The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Ambassador has a staggering five Olympic gold medals to her name compared to three titles at the Worlds, and she believes it takes even more to reach the top step of the podium at the latter.
The World Cup is harder than the Olympics, but it doesn't get talked about.
"I think with FIBA basketball, the World Cup specifically for the women, it doesn't get as much notoriety as it deserves," said Bird. "You can argue, given the qualification steps, that the World Cup is harder than the Olympics, but it doesn't get talked about.
"And so to help build that platform up is something that I was excited to be a part of and honestly learn about it. Because even though I played in it, there's definitely things in terms of how it all works that I wasn't aware of. So it's been great to learn as well."
She continued: " I became a FIBA ambassador, I guess like 2 years now ago. It started when I went to the Men's World Cup in Manila, and along with Melo, along with Paul Gasol and Luis Scola, it's just this really wonderful way to continue to shine light in places that need it."
Bird was part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2025 that included fellow UConn alumni and Olympic teammate Maya Moore, another Olympic teammate in Sylvia Fowles - plus former NBA stars Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony who is also a FIBA Global Ambassador. Bird certainly has a strong point when it comes to the 'Road to Berlin' and how competitive it is going to be. On October 7, the draw for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournaments will be made and the path to next year's showpiece event will be mapped out in full.
Only five nations have already guaranteed their spots, with Germany as host nation - along with Australia, Belgium, Nigeria and USA who all received a direct ticket after winning their respective 2025 Continental titles.
Even with their spots guaranteed, the quintet will take place in the Women's Qualifying Tournaments 2026 next March, when the remaining 11 places will be taken. A total of 24 teams will compete in total, with the hosts of the Qualifying Tournaments to be confirmed later this year.
Fans can register their interest and get one step ahead by clicking here.
Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournaments 2026 qualified teams
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Qualified as FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Host | Germany |
Qualified as FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournament winner | Czechia |
Qualified as FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournament winner | Hungary |
Qualified as a Top 4 team at FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2025 | Mali; Nigeria; Senegal; South Sudan |
Qualified as a Top 6 team at FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2025 | Argentina; Brazil; Canada; Colombia; Puerto Rico; USA |
Qualified as a Top 6 team at FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2025 | Australia; China; Japan; Korea; New Zealand; Philippines |
Qualified as a Top 5 team at FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025 | Belgium; France; Italy; Spain; Türkiye |
Women's World Cup 2026 Qualification Tracker
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Qualified as FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Host | Germany |
Qualified as FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2025 winner | Nigeria |
Qualified as FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2025 winner | USA |
Qualified as FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2025 winner | Australia |
Qualified as FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025 winner | Belgium |
Qualified through the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournaments (March 2026) | - |
For more information on how to qualify to the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026, please check here and for the full FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Event Guide, click here.
FIBA