The 20th edition of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup got underway in Berlin on Friday, kicking off 16 teams’ bids for global glory with two opening-day wins for Asia-Pacific contenders Australia and Japan, while highly anticipated matches from powerhouses including the defending champion United States and China were set to tip off later the same day.
Australia’s Opals got their campaign off to a confidence-boosting start, shaking off a pattern of opening-match losses at recent major tournaments to defeat Puerto Rico 70-54. Forward Steph Talbot anchored the team’s offense with a game-high 19 points to lead the charge. For head coach Sandy Brondello, the early win removes significant pressure from her squad ahead of upcoming group-stage matches. In this expanded 16-team tournament format, only the four group winners earn an automatic direct berth to the quarterfinals, making every opening result critical.
In the day’s other opening contest, Japan pulled off a dramatic late comeback to edge out African side Mali 102-97. Guard Saki Hayashi led all scorers with 27 points for Japan, but the game remained in Mali’s control for nearly the full four quarters. It was not until 6:30 remained in the final frame that Mai Yamamoto knotted the score at 79-79, Japan’s first lead since tipoff. A late free throw from Kokoro Tanaka in the closing seconds locked in the comeback victory. For Mali, the defeat marks a disappointing opening to a tournament where the side was chasing just its second all-time World Cup win. Mali’s only previous victory at the event came in a 2010 overtime clash against Senegal in the 15th-place playoff, and the side went winless across five matches at the 2022 World Cup hosted by Australia.
All eyes turned to the evening’s marquee matchups, headlined by the United States’ opening bid for an unprecedented fifth consecutive world title. The Americans, the tournament’s top seed, were set to face China in a highly anticipated clash at Berlin’s Max-Schmeling-Halle — the same 9,000-seat venue where the U.S. claimed its sixth global title with a 1998 final win over Russia. The U.S. enters the tournament with a retooled young roster, missing key stars including four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and sharpshooter Kelsey Plum, who withdrew before the tournament. Three of college basketball’s biggest names — Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese — will lead the young American squad in its title defense.
China’s roster has already drawn widespread attention for its unmatched size, headlined by 19-year-old phenom Zhang Ziyu, who stands 7-foot-3, and 6-foot-10 center Han Xu, who already has experience competing against American players through her tenure with the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
Host nation Germany was making its second appearance in the tournament, with its opening match against Spain scheduled for later Friday at the main venue, Berlin Arena, which holds 14,000 spectators. Four other opening-day matches were also on the schedule: France faced Hungary, South Korea took on Nigeria at Berlin Arena, while Belgium played Turkey and the Czech Republic faced Italy at Max-Schmeling-Halle. Australia will return to action on Sunday against Turkey, while Japan is set to face host Germany in its second group-stage match Saturday.