GUADALAJARA (Mexico) – The FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament 2026 had an unexpected start. South Sudan and New Zealand pulled off two major upsets on Monday, August 17, defeating Brazil and Argentina, respectively, in the first two games of Group A. In the opening game, South Sudan defeated Brazil 63-61 in overtime, while New Zealand dominated from start to finish to beat Argentina 57-35. The results are even more significant considering that Brazil is ranked ninth in the FIBA Women’s World Ranking, presented by Nike, while South Sudan sits at 42nd, the lowest-ranked of the eight participating teams. Prior to this tournament, South Sudan and Brazil only faced each other once in recent history, during the Group Phase of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament in China. On that occasion, Brazil prevailed 94-79. However, the circumstances were different in Guadalajara. Brazil was without their two leading players, Kamilla Cardoso and Damiris Dantas. Both were absent due to their WNBA commitments, while Dantas is also currently sidelined with an injury. South Sudan, meanwhile, found their star performer in Adut Bulgak.
Bulgak delivered a dominant performance with 25 points, 22 rebounds and 2 steals for a game-high efficiency rating of 33. The African side also received a significant contribution at the point guard position from debutant Moira Joiner, who finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Joiner plays in Spain’s top division with Leganes and already has EuroCup Women experience with Baxi Ferrol.
New Zealand leave Argentina without answers
If South Sudan’s victory was unexpected, what happened in the second game of the day was even more emphatic. New Zealand left Argentina struggling to find offensive answers for much of the game. Argentina entered the tournament as the Group A favorite after winning the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2027 South American Qualifiers title just days earlier for the second consecutive edition. In that tournament, Argentina also defeated Brazil in the Semi-Finals. New Zealand arrived in Guadalajara after going 0-5 at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico and with a roster of just 10 players, averaging 22 years of age. Their only slight advantage on paper was their ranking: New Zealand is 21st in the FIBA World Ranking, while Argentina is 23rd. But on the court, the gap between the two teams disappeared. Ella Jade Brow led New Zealand’s offense with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, while Emilia Shearer added 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Ella Tofaeono finished with 9 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, while Lauren Whittaker contributed 11 points and 9 rebounds.
Argentina had several difficulties finding the basket. Florencia Chagas was the only player to reach double figures, and the team made just 5 of 38 three-point attempts, shooting 13 percent from beyond the arc. The result also snapped a favorable head-to-head record for Argentina. Before this game, the two national teams had met only once in recent history, at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2012, with Argentina winning 54-51. Following these results on the opening day, Group A is wide open. South Sudan and New Zealand showed that past results and rankings can be put aside once the competition gets underway.
FIBA