BERLIN (Germany) - It looks set to be a monumental tussle between Australia and Spain when they lock horns in the Quarter-Finals at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 in Berlin.
The Opals have been besieged by injury issues, but are showing plenty of grit and determination to continue on their course - one that sees them searching for an astonishing eighth Semi-Final ticket in nine editions.
Meanwhile Spain have not had it all their own way and needed to bounce back to a shock loss against Mali during the opening phase to eventually claim top spot in their group. Now they are two wins from a dream return to the podium after not featuring at all at the 2022 edition.
Both teams will fight it out for a place in Saturday's Semi-Finals. Click here for the full schedule.
Key Matchup
Rising star Iyana Martin has been breathing fire for Spain on her Women's World Cup debut. The 20 year old is leading her nation in efficiency after pouring in a team-high 17.6 points per game - also first for assists with 3.0 dimes per game too.
Young, hungry and determined to live up to expectations, Martin will possibly be up against the classy veteran Steph Talbot who has all the know-how needed to shut down Spain's new star. Plus, Talbot is making positive waves of her own and playing some of the best basketball of her career in an Australian vest.
Stats Don't Lie
On paper, both teams match up relatively well. However, Spain are shooting better from behind the arc at 34.7 percent compared to 26 percent for the Opals.
But their might be an alarm bell going off in the Spanish camp as they are the worst free-throw shooting team in the competition, sinking only 57.4 percent from the line.
The Killer Questions
With two days of rest as a bonus for topping their group and taking a direct ticket to the Quarter-Finals, will Spain be able to bring extra intensity all over the floor? Especially defensively and to make the most of the Opals' epic struggle to see off Italy.
For the Opals, will their success hinge on being able to field Ezi Magbegor who only played a handful of minutes against Italy? They will probably need their star center back to try and lock down the physical Spanish frontcourt of Awa Fam, Megan Gustafson and Raquel Carrera.
Recent Game History
It's been a while since these two met in any competition. You have to rewind all the way to the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 when they played in the Semi-Finals and the Opals won 72-66.
Alba Torrens is the sole survivor from the Spanish lineup, with Steph Talbot and Ezi Magbegor having been part of the Australian side.
FIBA