Current season, competition or edition: 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup | |
 | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1953; 72 years ago (1953) |
| First season | 1953 |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Country | FIBA members |
| Continent | FIBA (International) |
| Most recent champions |  United States(11th title) |
| Most titles | United States (11 titles) |
TheFIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, also known as theBasketball World Cup for Women or simply theFIBA Women's World Cup, is an internationalbasketball tournament for women's national teams held quadrennially. It was created by theInternational Basketball Federation (FIBA). Its inaugural game was in1953 inChile, three years after the first men's World Championship. For most of its early history, it was not held in the same year as the men's championship, and was not granted a consistent quadrennial cycle until1967. After the1983 event, FIBA changed the scheduling so that the women's tournament would be held in even-numbered non-Olympic years, a change that had come to the men's tournament in1970.
Formerly known as theFIBA World Championship for Women, the name changed shortly after its2014 edition.[1] From 1986 through 2014, the tournament was held in the same year as the men'sFIBA Basketball World Cup, though in different countries. After the 2014 editions of both championships, the men's event was rescheduled on a new four-year cycle (the latest in2019) to avoid conflict with the men'sFIFA World Cup, but the Women's World Cup remains on the same four-year cycle, with editions held in the same years as the men's FIFA World Cup and the finals tournament played a few months after it.[2] The2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup was held inSydney, Australia. The2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup will be held inBerlin, Germany.
Only four nations have won titles in the history of the Women's World Cup. The first tournament was held in1953 inChile, with the participation of ten national teams. Despite losing toBrazil in the final round, theUnited States won the inaugural title. The next tournament which was held in1957 inBrazil, marked the beginning of the long-time rivalry between the US team andSoviet team, who debuted at the World Championship. The first official match between these teams was played on the last day of the tournament, it was also the decisive match of the championship. Soviet players led after the first half (27–24), but in the second half the Americans managed to achieve victory (51–48) and won their second World title.
The third World Championship was held in1959 inMoscow,Soviet Union. Due to international political tensions, caused by theCold War, theUnited States and its allies didn't participate at this tournament, thus only eightEastern Bloc countries were able to play at the championship. In the absence of theUS team, theSoviet team won their maiden World title whileBulgaria took silver medals andCzechoslovakia finished third. But at the next World Championship, which was held in1964 inPeru, all theseEastern European teams also occupied whole podium – theSoviet Union won their second title in a row,Czechoslovakia won silver medals,Bulgaria took bronze whileUnited States finished only at fourth place. This tournament marked the beginning of the era of dominance of the Soviet Union in world women's basketball, which lasted for next two decades. Under leadership of head coachLidiya Alekseyeva, Soviet team won three next World Championships held in1967 (Czechoslovakia),1971 (Brazil) and1975 (Colombia). The vast majority of medals at these tournaments were won byEastern European andEast Asian teams whileUnited States even failed to qualify into final round. In general, from 1959 to 1975 Soviet team won record five titles in a row by winning all their 40 matches with margin of 10 points and more. Therefore, it was not surprising when theSoviet Union won the inaugural women's Olympic tournament which was held in1976 inMontreal,Canada (by winning all five matches). Despite losing toJapan and the Soviet Union, the United States managed to finish second and capture silver medals while Bulgaria took Olympic bronze.
Unfortunately, the next world women's basketball major tournaments were clouded by a series of political boycotts caused by theCold War. Firstly, theSoviet Union and four otherEastern Bloc countries withdrew from next World Championships which was held in1979 inSouth Korea. In spite of losing to thehosts (82–94),United States won all other matches and captured a gold medal thanks to a better head-to-head point difference among the Top 3 teams. It was the third World title for the US team and the first since 1957. The next year theUnited States boycotted1980 Olympic tournament which was held inMoscow,Soviet Union. In their absence, Soviet team captured their second Olympic title by winning all 6 matches while theBulgaria and theYugoslavia took silver and bronze medals respectively. Therefore, the next World Championship which was held in1983 inBrazil became the first international major competition for seven years with participation of all the world's top teams. TheSoviet Union captured their sixth World title by winning all 10 of their matches, but this victory was the most difficult one. In the final group round, the Soviet team won the match against United States with a margin of only one point (85–84) after losing 40–49 at the end of first half. Later in the final match between these two teams the Soviets lost the first half with a score of 37–40, but also managed to achieve victory with a margin of only two points (84–82). Both of those matches had provided other teams with the knowledge that theSoviet Union wasn't as overwhelming a force as it was years prior. TheChina won their first World Championship medal after their victory overSouth Korea in a bronze medal match (71–63). Next year theSoviet Union andHungary boycotted1984 Olympic tournament which was held inLos Angeles,United States thus allowing the hosts to win their maiden Olympic title.South Korea andChina took silver and bronze Olympic medals respectively.
Fortunately, all the world's top teams were able to partake in the next World Championship, which was held in1986 in theSoviet Union. One month before start of tournament,United States won the basketball tournament at the1986 Goodwill Games inMoscow by beating theSoviet Union with great margin of 23 points (83–60). Both reigning Olympic Champions (United States) and World Champions (Soviet Union) won all their group and semifinal matches, and then met in the final match inMoscow. In this final, US team once again proved their superiority by winning with a margin of 20 points (108–88) thus ending the remarkable winning streak of the Soviet team at the World Championships which lasted 56 consecutive matches. This victory became the turning point which marked beginning of the era of dominance of theUnited States in world women's basketball. At the1988 Summer Olympics inSeoul,South Korea, the US team defended their Olympic title by beating theYugoslavia in the final match (77–70) while the Soviet team failed to reach the final and unexpectively finished only in third place for the first time in their history. At the next World Championship which was held in1990 inMalaysia, theSoviet Union lost in the second group round toCzechoslovakia (79–82) andYugoslavia (63–64) and finished only at fifth place. It was the first and only time the Soviet women's team had failed to reach the podium at the international level competition. Like two years prior, the United States and Yugoslavia once more met in the final match, and US team achieved victory again (88–78) by winning their sixth World title. Two years later, the United States went to1992 Summer Olympics inBarcelona,Spain in the status of favorites to win - especially after the Yugoslavian team was banned from competition due toUnited Nationssanctions. However, the former Soviet players who competed for theUnified Team, as a result of Soviet Union's dissolution in December 1991, managed to achieve surprising success after a shocking victory overUnited States in the semifinals (79–73) and managed a victory over theChina in the final match (76–66). The US team finished in third place. This was the last victory of Soviet-born players at the World level competitions, and the Unified Team ceased to exist after that.
The 12th World Championship was held inAustralia in1994, after the dissolution ofSoviet Union,SFR Yugoslavia andCzechoslovakia.Slovakia became only newly formed national team who managed to qualify to this World Championship. In such situation,United States aimed to return at first position. However, they surprisingly lost semifinal match toBrazil (107–110) and once again finished only at the third place. In the final match, Brazil beatChina (96–87) thus breaking US-Soviet duopoly on World Championship which lasted for 41 years. Two years laterUnited States took revenge at the home1996 Olympic tournament atAtlanta by beating Brazil in the final match with margin of 24 points (111–87). This victory marked beginning of US dominance at the Olympic Games – from 1996 to 2021, they won seven Olympic titles in a row with remarkable winning streak of 55 consecutive matches at Olympic tournaments.
The 13th World Championship took place in1998 inGermany.Russian team participated at this tournament for first time after dissolution ofSoviet Union. In the second group round, they lost toUnited States with great margin of 36 points (60–96) but then managed to reach final where met with US team again. In the final match, United States faced with much stronger resistance – Russia led with margin of 9 points after first half (28–37), but in the second half US team managed to reach advantage and achieved final victory (71–65).Australia won World Championship bronze medals for first time in their history. The similar story took place at the next World Championship which took place in2002 inChina –United States defeatedRussian team at the preliminary round with margin of 34 points (89–55) but later they faced with stronger resistance from Russian side in the final. Despite this, US team won final match with margin of 5 points (79–74) and captured seventh World title whileAustralia took bronze medals for second time in a row. At the next2006 World Championship inBrazil,Russian team lost toUnited States at the preliminary round (80–90) and then lost two more matches at the group stage. But after group stage, Russia achieved remarkable victory by beating US team in semifinals (75–68). It was only first defeat ofUnited States for 12 years at the either Olympic Games or World Championships (and the last till nowadays). They finished only at third place after beating hosts in a bronze medal match (99–59). After this success, Russia was unable to show the same resistance toAustralian team who won final match with margin of 17 points (91–74). Therefore, Australia became only fourth national team to win either Olympic or World title in the history of women's basketball.
The next World Championship took place in2010 in theCzech Republic. Many people waited for another match betweenUnited States andRussia in playoffs. Both teams won all their group matches but then Russia suffered shocking defeat toBelarus in the quarterfinals (53–70). The defending champions,Australia also surprisingly lost quarterfinal match to hosts -Czech team (68–79). In the semifinals, Czech Republic beat Belarus in overtime (81–77) and reach final match for the first time after dissolution of Czechoslovakia. However, in the final matchUnited States looked stronger and managed to return World title after victory with margin of 20 points (89–69).Spain won World Championship medals for first time in their history after beating Belarus in a bronze medal match (77–68). The next three edition were held without participation of Russian team who failed to qualify to2014 and2018 tournaments and was banned from participation in the2022 World Cup due to theinvasion of Ukraine. In2014 US team repeated their success by beatingSpain in the final match (77–64). The home team,Turkey managed to reach semifinals for first time in history but failed to win medals after losing toAustralia in a bronze medal match (44–74). At the next2018 World Cup inSpain, United States captured gold again after victory over Australia in a final match (73–56). The home team,Spain reached podium for third time in a row after victory overBelgium in a bronze medal match (67–60). The number of participants of the2022 World Cup was reduced from 16 to 12 teams. United States won gold medals for fourth time in a row by beatingChina in a final match (83–61). Therefore, US team won eight of last ten World tournaments, captured their 11th World title and extended own winning streak at these competitions to 30 consecutive matches. The home team,Australia defeatedCanada in a bronze medal match (95–65) and thus reached podium for third time in a row.
For the 2026 edition of the tournament in Germany, 16 teams will participate.[3]
Confederations and yearsitalicized and inbold have an upcoming competition.
| Confederation | Total | (Hosts) Years |
|---|---|---|
| FIBA Africa | 0 | |
| FIBA Americas | 7 |  1953, 1957, 1964, 1971, 1975,1983, 2006 |
| FIBA Asia | 5 |  1979, 1990, 1994, 2002,2022 |
| FIBA Europe | 8 |  1959, 1967,1986, 1998,2010, 2014, 2018,2026 |
Note: From 1953 through 1979 the medalists were decided in a league format instead of in a knockout tournament; results of the final round matches are shown.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 11 | 1 | 2 | 14 |
| 2 | Soviet Union | 6 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | Australia | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| 4 | Brazil | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 |  Russia | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 7 | China | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 |  South Korea | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Spain | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 |  Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | Chile | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Czech Republic | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Japan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Yugoslavia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 15 |  Canada | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 16 |  Cuba | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (17 entries) | 19 | 19 | 19 | 57 | |
| Team | 1953 | 1957 | 1959 | 1964 | 1967 | 1971 | 1975 | 1979 | 1983 | 1986 | 1990 | 1994 | 1998 | 2002 | 2006 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 | 2022 | 2026 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Angola | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16th | – | – | 1 | |
 Argentina | 6th | 9th | – | 13th | – | 11th | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15th | 10th | 9th | 14th | – | 15th | – | 9 | |
| Australia | – | 10th | – | – | 10th | 9th | 10th | 4th | 11th | 9th | 6th | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 1st | 5th | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | Q | 17 |
 Belarus | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4th | 10th | – | – | – | 2 |
 Belgium | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4th | 5th | Q | 3 |
 Bolivia | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12th | – | 1 |
| Brazil | 4th | 4th | – | 5th | 8th | 3rd | 12th | 9th | 5th | 11th | 10th | 1st | 4th | 7th | 4th | 9th | 11th | – | – | 16 | |
| Bulgaria | – | – | 2nd | 3rd | 7th | – | – | WD | 6th | 7th | 8th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 |
| Canada | – | – | – | – | – | 10th | 11th | 3rd | 9th | 3rd | 7th | 7th | – | – | 10th | 12th | 5th | 7th | 4th | 12 | |
| Chile | 2nd | 7th | – | 11th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | |
| China | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | WD | 3rd | 5th | 9th | 2nd | 12th | 6th | 12th | 13th | 6th | 6th | 2nd | 11 | |
 Chinese Taipei | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12th | – | 14th | – | 14th | 14th | – | – | – | – | – | 4 |
| Colombia | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
 DR Congo | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14th | – | 15th | – | 16th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| Cuba | 10th | 12th | – | – | – | 7th | – | – | 10th | 6th | 3rd | 6th | 7th | 9th | 11th | – | 12th | – | – | – | 11 |
| Czech Republic | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7th | 2nd | 9th | – | – | 3 | |
| Czechoslovakia † | – | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | WD | – | 4th | 4th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 |
 East Germany † | – | – | – | – | 4th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Ecuador | – | – | – | – | – | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| France | 3rd | – | – | 10th | – | 6th | – | 7th | – | – | – | 9th | – | 8th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 5th | 7th | 11 | |
| Germany | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | – | – | – | – | – | – | Q | 2 |
 Greece | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | – | 11th | – | – | 2 |
 Hungary | – | 5th | 7th | – | – | – | 9th | – | – | 8th | – | – | 10th | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | |
 Italy | – | – | – | – | 9th | – | 4th | 5th | – | – | 13th | 11th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | |
| Japan | – | – | – | 9th | 5th | 5th | 2nd | 6th | 12th | – | 12th | 12th | 9th | 13th | – | 10th | 14th | 9th | 9th | 14 | |
 Kenya | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Latvia | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13th | – | – | 1 |
 Lithuania | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6th | 11th | 6th | – | – | – | – | 3 | |
 Madagascar | – | – | – | – | – | 13th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Malaysia | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | – | – | 16th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | |
 Mali | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15th | – | – | 11th | 2 | |
 Mexico | 8th | 8th | – | – | – | – | 6th | WD | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | |
 Mozambique | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15th | – | – | 1 | |
 Netherlands | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 New Zealand | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Nigeria | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16th | – | – | 8th | WD | Q | 3 |
 North Korea | – | – | 8th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Paraguay | 5th | 6th | – | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| Peru | 7th | 11th | – | 7th | – | – | – | – | 13th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 |
 Poland | – | – | 5th | – | – | – | – | – | 7th | – | – | 13th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
 Puerto Rico | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16th | 8th | 2 | |
 Romania | – | – | 6th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Russia | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 7th | – | – | DQ | DQ | 4 |
 Senegal | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13th | 12th | WD | – | 14th | WD | 14th | 15th | 15th | 16th | – | 12th | – | 8 | |
 Serbia | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8th | – | 6th | – | 2 |
 Slovakia | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5th | 8th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| South Korea | – | – | – | 8th | 2nd | 4th | 5th | 2nd | 4th | 10th | 11th | 10th | 13th | 4th | 13th | 8th | 13th | 14th | 10th | 16 | |
| Soviet Union † | – | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | WD | 1st | 2nd | 5th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 |
| Spain | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8th | 5th | 5th | 8th | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | – | 7 | |
 Switzerland | 9th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Tunisia | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16th | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Turkey | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4th | 10th | – | 2 | |
| United States | 1st | 1st | – | 4th | 11th | 8th | 8th | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | Q | 19 |
| Yugoslavia † | – | – | 4th | 6th | 6th | – | – | WD | 8th | – | 2nd | – | – | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 |
| Total | 10 | 12 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 16 |
Boldface denotes active basketball players and highest medal count among all players (including these who not included in these tables) per type.
| Rank | Player | Country | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sue Bird |  United States | 2002 | 2018 | 4 | – | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Raisa Mikhaylova (Kuznetsova) | Soviet Union | 1957 | 1967 | 3 | 1 | – | 4 |
| Nina Poznanskaya | Soviet Union | 1957 | 1967 | 3 | 1 | – | 4 | |
| 4 | Diana Taurasi | United States | 2006 | 2018 | 3 | – | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Tina Charles | United States | 2010 | 2018 | 3 | – | – | 3 |
| Uļjana (Iulijaka) Semjonova | Soviet Union | 1971 | 1983 | 3 | – | – | 3 | |
| Skaidrīte Smildziņa | Soviet Union | 1959 | 1967 | 3 | – | – | 3 | |
| Breanna Stewart | United States | 2014 | 2022 | 3 | – | – | 3 | |
| 9 | Jennifer Azzi | United States | 1990 | 1998 | 2 | – | 1 | 3 |
| Tamika Catchings | United States | 2002 | 2010 | 2 | – | 1 | 3 | |
| Teresa Edwards | United States | 1986 | 1994 | 2 | – | 1 | 3 | |
| Lisa Leslie | United States | 1994 | 2002 | 2 | – | 1 | 3 | |
| Katrina McClain | United States | 1986 | 1994 | 2 | – | 1 | 3 | |
| DeLisha Milton-Jones | United States | 1998 | 2006 | 2 | – | 1 | 3 | |
| Katie Smith | United States | 1998 | 2006 | 2 | – | 1 | 3 | |
| Dawn Staley | United States | 1994 | 2002 | 2 | – | 1 | 3 |
The table shows players who have won at least 4 medals in total at the World Cups.
| Rank | Player | Country | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sue Bird | United States | 2002 | 2018 | 4 | – | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Raisa Mikhaylova (Kuznetsova) | Soviet Union | 1957 | 1967 | 3 | 1 | – | 4 |
| Nina Poznanskaya | Soviet Union | 1957 | 1967 | 3 | 1 | – | 4 | |
| 4 | Diana Taurasi | United States | 2006 | 2018 | 3 | – | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Lauren Jackson | Australia | 1998 | 2022 | 1 | – | 3 | 4 |
| 6 | Milena Jindrová | Czechoslovakia | 1964 | 1975 | – | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Basketball codes | |
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| Men's national team tournaments | |
| Women's national team tournaments | |
| Men's club tournaments | |
| Women's club tournaments |
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| Presidents |
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| Secretaries General |
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| Rankings | |
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