8
Oct
2026 World Cup
Road to 2026 World Cup laid out for Opals
Australian Opals celebrate their 2025 FIBA Asia Cup title. Photo: FIBA.com
The Opals will participate in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers despite having already qualified.
- Australia has been drawn in Turkey's group of the lead-in tournament, alongside Japan, Canada, Argentina, Hungary, and Turkey
- The Opals have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, due to their Asia Cup champion status
- Germany, Nigeria, Belgium and the USA have also already qualified
Australia's lead up to the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 is now set, with the Opals drawn into the Istanbul qualifying group alongside host nation Turkey, Canada, Japan and Argentina.
The host (Germany) and the winners of each Women’s Continental Cup 2025 (Australia, Belgium, Nigeria, and USA) will participate in these qualifying tournaments, however, they receive automatic qualification for September's FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026.
The draw, held overnight at FIBA’s Patrick Baumann House of Basketball in Switzerland, finalised the final stage of qualification ahead of the 2026 tournament in Berlin. Sixteen nations will ultimately compete for world championship glory, with the qualifying tournaments to be played between March 11 and 17 next year.
The remaining pool draws are:
Wuhan, China
Mali, South Sudan, Brazil, Belgium, Czechia and China.
Lyon-Villeurbanne, France
Colombia, Philippines, Germany, Korea, France and Nigeria.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
New Zealand, Puerto Rico, USA, Senegal, Italy and Spain.
Istanbul, Türkiye
Hungary, Turkey, Argentina, Australia, Canada and Japan.
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