2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments Preview
Highlighting each team trying to qualify for Paris
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The Olympic Games are one of the most-watched sporting events in the entire world, and they represent the biggest stage for many athletes in their sports. As such, reaching the Olympics is a massive achievement in and of itself, and 12 nations will enjoy the festivities in Paris this summer as they compete for the gold in women’s basketball. The qualifying tournament will have the same format as for the 2020 Tokyo Games: four groups of four teams will compete at sites around the world, with three teams from each pool qualifying for the Olympics. The USA, as the champions at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Australia, and France, as the hosts, have already earned Olympic berths but will nevertheless compete at the qualifying tournament in separate pools (in those two pools, the top two other teams advance to the Olympics). The qualifying action will begin on Thursday, Feb. 8, and will continue until Sunday, Feb. 11. Games are viewable with a subscription to Courtside 1891. Below is our preview of the tournament action, with a breakdown of each team listed in seed order and with overall predictions at the bottom.
Xi’an, China Tournament
China
At the last global competition, China staked out a claim for the second-best team in the world, playing the USA competitively in pool play and reaching the final for a rematch despite its best perimeter player, small forward Li Meng, missing the semifinal (and later the final) with an illness. The 2023 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup nearly represented a hiccup as the team narrowly edged Japan in the final, 73-71. However, while Japan was missing Rui Machida, China was even more short-handed as Li Yueru missed the tournament with an injury that also held her out of the WNBA season, and starting point guard Yang Liwei missed the final after suffering an injury in the semifinal against Australia. Li Yueru’s absence left China without half of its supersized center platoon, and the other half, Han Xu, rose to the occasion. Excluding China’s game against recently promoted Lebanon, Han averaged 23.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game. Even more impressively, she averaged 34.0 minutes per game (again excluding the matchup with Lebanon) despite splitting time almost evenly with Li Yueru in previous tournaments. Now, Li Yueru is back and playing well in Turkey in her first season in Europe while Han continues to dominate the Chinese league. With Li standing 6-foot-7 and Han standing 6-foot-9, China’s frontline is imposing and difficult for most other countries to combat. Elsewhere on the team, while Li Meng mostly played as a shooting specialist in her first WNBA season with the Washington Mystics, she is a true three-level scorer and playmaker at the international level; combo guard Wang Siyu plays a very physical attacking style with no fear of contact; and 6-foot-3 combo forward Huang Sijing is hyper-efficient without being hesitant and a serious threat in transition. The X-factor for China will be Yang, who led the team in minutes at the World Cup. Yang did not return to Chinese league competition until December after suffering that injury at the Asia Cup and was still ramping up her minutes load when the league went on a break at the end of that month. If Yang is not at full strength, more responsibility will fall to Li Yuan, a younger but still experienced traditional point guard who is a skilled passer but has struggled as an outside shooter. China will likely qualify, but the particular wrinkles - and the rise of any budding stars - should continue to carry intrigue.
France (automatically qualified)
France has been one of the deepest national teams outside the USA for years. This was no more evident than at the 2023 FIBA Women’s EuroBasket when France was without its two best players, Gabby Williams and Marine Johannès. While the team’s streak of five consecutive silver medal finishes was broken, France still finished third, only losing to eventual champions Belgium by four points in the semifinal. It won games in that tournament with balance, as legendary center Sandrine Gruda led the team with only 10.2 points per game while five players averaged at least 7.5 points per game. This success and balance came despite rising star combo guard Marine Fauthoux going on a massive cold streak, only averaging 0.77 points per scoring attempt and shooting 2-for-16 (12.5%) from 3-point range. Well, Williams and Johannès are back, as is backup point guard Alix Duchet. Duchet’s inclusion could be important as the team has often been understaffed at the point guard position in recent tournaments, such as the Tokyo Olympics when France had no insurance behind Duchet and a still-developing Fauthoux. Having three solid point guards alongside the superstars and two-way playmaking wing Sarah Michel-Boury, currently averaging 5.5 assists per game between the French league and EuroCup Women, making ballhandling a clear strength of this France team. Elsewhere on the front line, Valeriane Ayayi continues to be a critical piece for EuroLeague Women powerhouse USK Praha. Alexia Chery and Iliana Rupert are some of the best-respected shooting post players on the continent, and Marieme Badiane is a potent finisher as an undersized combo post player. Finally, 2025 WNBA draft prospect Dominique Malonga brings excellent size to the center position in what will still probably be more of a developmental position. Having already qualified for the Olympic Games as the host, these qualifying tournament games will mostly be tune-ups, but the game with host China should nevertheless be an absolute barnburner.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico put together a great performance at the 2022 FIBA World Cup, both recording its first victory and reaching the first knockout stage of a global tournament. However, despite having no WNBA-related absences for the 2023 AmeriCup - and actually getting former WNBA player Jazmon Gwathmey back after her absence from the World Cup - the team only finished fourth, losing once to Brazil and twice to a shorthanded Canada team. At both tournaments, the heartbeat of the team’s offense has been Arella Guirantes as a quick, attacking scoring wing. Guirantes broke out in a big way on the international stage during the 2022-23 EuroLeague Women season and has continued to grow at that level this season, moving on to traditional Italian powerhouse Beretta Famila Schio and recording better efficiency in a role that has allowed her to focus more of her attention on scoring. Part of what makes Puerto Rico tick is the team’s use of small, quick lineups, and Guirantes has played all the way up to the power forward position since joining the team. This comes from equal parts stylistic advantage and necessity as Puerto Rico’s more traditional post players are relatively small and its tallest players, former WNBA first-round pick Mya Hollingshed and Isalys Quinones, gravitate toward the perimeter, especially offensively. The key for Puerto Rico is always shot selection as its best players have traditionally been best as shotmakers and only Guirantes consistently creates open looks at the basket. However, the hierarchy for Puerto Rico may be a bit out of whack as both Gwathmey and veteran point guard Jennifer O’Neill were not on the preliminary roster. Someone who could help fill the void is former Missisissippi State guard Ahlana Smith who joined the national team setup for the first time at the Americas Pre-Qualifying Tournament in November, while veteran point guard Pamela Rosado should also have more of a featured role. As long as Puerto Rico can allocate touches effectively and efficiently, qualification is very plausible. Regardless, it will be valuable to see whether it can remain competitive with two global powers in China and France.
New Zealand
New Zealand is vying for a spot in its first global tournament since the 2008 Olympics. Unfortunately, what was always going to be an uphill road for New Zealand - it lost its three games at the Asia Cup against traditional powerhouses China, Japan, and Australia by an average of 30.7 points per game - has become much, much rougher because of its extensive injury report. Penina Davidson, an exceptionally crafty low post scorer and the team’s second-leading scorer at the 2023 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, was left off the preliminary roster because of an injury she suffered during the Australian WNBL season, as were key guards Tahlia Tupaea and Krystal Leger-Walker. Then, less than two weeks before the start of the tournament, Washington State star Charlisse Leger-Walker suffered an ACL injury that will keep her out of not only the qualifying tournament but also prevent her from joining the team if it qualifies for the Olympics. Charlisse Leger-Walker dominated New Zealand’s offense at the Asia Cup, controlling the game with her pick-and-roll ability as a passer and multi-level scorer, making this a devastating blow. New Zealand opened the door for this berth in the qualifying tournament by eking out a two-point win against Korea in the Asia Cup opener - of the seven players to earn game action in that game, four of them will not be available in Xi’an. The remaining trio from that game are slashing forward Tera Reed, connecting wing Stella Beck, and point guard Tayla Dalton, all of whom will be relied upon for critical roles. Of the three, Reed is the most likely to pick up the scoring mantle, and she could easily average five or six free-throw attempts per game. In the supporting cast, long center Ritorya Tamilo carries intrigue as a 2025 WNBA Draft prospect, and 16-year-old guard Pahylss Hokianga will break Charlisse Leger-Walker’s team record for youngest-ever player if she sees the floor.
Antwerp, Belgium Tournament
USA (automatically qualified)
The global juggernaut has dominated international competition for decades, not having lost a single game at a high-ranking global competition since falling to Russia in the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup (then known as the World Championships). The USA’s romp through the 2022 World Cup was an especially dominant display, with an average margin of victory of 31.7 points per game throughout the knockout rounds and with its closest game overall being a 14-point pool play win over China. While A’ja Wilson, Brittney Griner, and Chelsea Gray are unavailable for various personal reasons, the USA roster is nearly at full strength with players like Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, Jewell Loyd, and Napheesa Collier on the roster. This version of the team is smaller than many previous rosters, with arguably only Thomas and Aliyah Boston being considered traditional post players. Besides the five players mentioned, the roster includes Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu, Kahleah Copper, Rhyne Howard, Ariel Atkins, and Diana Taurasi. Expect this team to play fast and aggressive basketball with lots of excellent passers dicing up opposing defenses. The ball movement from both teams should be exciting in the USA-Belgium game, the teams’ third match-up in the last three years. Also, the Olympic rematch against Nigeria could represent a fascinating contrast in style given the African champion’s traditional reliance on size and rebounding.
Belgium
The key for Belgium for years has been the world’s biggest star not representing the USA, Emma Meesseman. After getting injured and suffering a premature exit during the 2022 World Cup, Meesseman came back like a whirlwind at the Women's EuroBasket 2023, leading the tournament with 21.7 points and 4.3 steals per game and carrying Belgium to its first-ever major tournament title. However, to say that Meesseman carried the team is not the same as saying that she was the entire team. Julie Allemand remains one of the world’s greatest traditional point guards, setting the tone for a team whose offense is predicated on exceptional ball movement honed through years of experience together. The revelation in recent years has been Julie Vanloo growing into an absolutely devastating shooter. Vanloo shot 43.6% from 3-point range on 9.2 attempts per game at EuroBasket. While she has not been quite so efficient this season in EuroCup Women and the Turkish league, she has been almost as prolific, and she now has a training camp contract with the Washington Mystics. Belgium does have a key, unexpected absence from starting center Kyara Linskens, a strong and physical presence and an adept passer. Bigger roles will be required from former Miami center Serena-Lynn Geldof, combo post player Becky Massey, and stretch post option Ine Joris. Potentially critical in their matchup against the USA will be Maxuella Lisowa-Mbaka, a slashing wing and versatile defender, and former South Florida forward Bethy Mununga, an elite rebounder. Belgium did lose a game in Women's EuroBasket 2025 qualification against Poland, which has not qualified for that tournament since 2015 or a global tournament since the 2000 Olympics. Belgium’s aggressive pick-and-roll defense was exploited by adept point guard play; potentially expanded roles for Lisowa Mbaka and Mununga could help Belgium maintain that scheme even against the global powerhouse. An element of intrigue for WNBA fans will be seeing if 2024 WNBA Draft prospect Nastja Claessens can crack the rotation after earning a key role for Castors Braine in the Belgian league and EuroCup Women. It will still be tough for Belgium to challenge the USA in front of their home fans, but it still stands an excellent chance of qualifying for the Olympics.
Nigeria
Nigeria qualified for the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup but later withdrew from the tournament. The 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket then represented a changing of the guard with traditional leaders Ezinne Kalu, Promise Amukamara, Adaora Elonu, and Victoria Macaulay, and Ify Ibekwe not present. In their place, former TCU forward Amy Okonkwo, a bit player at the Tokyo Olympics, broke out and earned the tournament MVP award by averaging 17.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. At the guard position, Ifunaya Okoro also rose to the occasion, averaging 10.0 points and 3.8 assists per game. For this tournament, Amukamara is back, opening up opportunities for Nigeria to play lineups with multiple ballhandlers without giving up any size as Okoro is six feet tall and Elizabeth Balogun should be able to play up to small forward. However, of that quintet, Amukamara is actually the only player who is back, and inexperience could be an issue for the team. Nigeria traditionally wins through size, defense, and rebounding, and less internationally experienced players like Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah, Murjanatu Musa, and Lauren Ebo could readily continue that tradition, but the inclusion of more guards, including sharpshooter Tomi Taiwo, could tilt the team slightly more toward offense and outside shooting. This shift, if it pans out, could introduce a little bit of variance into Nigeria’s play and give it better odds of pulling off another upset like it did against France in the 2022 World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
Senegal
After a historic finish at the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, finishing third in its group and qualifying for what was essentially a play-in round, Senegal is now the closest it has gotten to a global tournament since FIBA instituted these worldwide qualifying tournaments. After losing both pool play games at the 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, Senegal caught fire in the knockout rounds and made it to the gold medal game behind a torrid performance from point guard Cierra Dillard. Throughout the tournament, Dillard averaged 20.7 points and 5.5 assists per game, both of which ranked in the top three in the competition, while recording 1.25 points per scoring attempt. Her mastery in the pick-and-roll was something that other African teams could not check. However, Senegal did not have an efficient second option, with the next two leading scorers, Aya Traore and Oumoul Sarr, both recording less than 1.00 points per scoring attempt. Traore and Sarr are both on the roster but are also more than 40 years old. That being said, Yacine Diop is a solid two-way wing who can get points more efficiently; 21-year-old Sokhna Fall has an efficient record as an ancillary scorer in the Spanish league and will be representing Senegal for the first time; and former WNBA center Maimouna Diarra will be returning to the squad. If Dillard has to do everything herself once again, qualification seems unlikely, but if other players can be sources of quality offense, Senegal could work its way into its third Olympic berth.
Belém, Brazil Tournament
Australia
Historically, Australia’s roster has been remarkably consistent year-over-year in Olympic and World Cup contexts, but the Opals will have some new life injected into the backcourt alongside Sami Whitcomb. The most well-known new name to a North American audience would be Jade Melbourne, coming off a promising rookie season with the Seattle Storm and carrying that momentum forward to the Australian WNBL. Melbourne previously suited up for Australia at the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup, but Australia frequently puts together short-handed sides for that competition. Truly making their debuts for the national team in a major competition will be former University of Buffalo point guard Stephanie Reid and shooting guard Isobel Borlase, a WNBA Draft prospect whose game we previously covered here. These arrivals will help to make up for the absence of Stephanie Talbot, who, despite recently returning to the WNBL, was still not quite ready for a national team call-up after suffering a major injury last year. After a breakout season in the WNBA and a fresh new WNBA contract with the Minnesota Lynx, Alanna Smith will also be making an appearance for Australia after being left off the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup roster. Otherwise, it is a very familiar roster with Whitcomb, Ezi Magbegor, and Rebecca Allen poised to be major stars. Magbegor has put together an exceptional season in EuroLeague Women with Czech club USK Praha after continuing her growth in the WNBA, and this tournament could represent her taking a leap at the international level. Key for Australia will be replicating its stifling defense which only allowed 62.9 points per game on its home soil at the World Cup, an admittedly tough task with the absences of Talbot and Kristy Wallace on the wing. Veteran leadership will also play an important role with few players in the history of the sport able to match the experience of Lauren Jackson and other key veterans like Cayla George and Tess Madgen rounding out the squad. Australia should be well equipped to qualify for Paris behind its depth and influx of ballhandling.
Brazil
Brazil has been in a bit of a slump, not having qualified for a global tournament since the 2016 Olympics after having previously qualified for every single global competition since the 1992 Olympics. However, the country may be turning the corner after winning the 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, beating the USA’s team of NCAA stars twice, both times by a double-digit margin. Part of the key for Brazil has been the rise of South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso (listed in FIBA sources as Kamilla Soares). The 6-foot-7 post player presents significant mismatches for opposing front lines and formed a potent one-two punch at the AmeriCup with veteran Damiris Dantas as both players made the All-Tournament team. For Dantas’s part, the long-time WNBA player is back with a guaranteed contract with the Indiana Fever after being cut in training camp last season. While she has been a serious threat as an outside shooter for years, Dantas is torching the nets in the Turkish league this season, shooting 44.3% from three on 6.2 attempts per game. Stephanie Soares, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, is also listed on the preliminary roster after missing what would have been her rookie season with the Dallas Wings and the AmeriCup, presenting another stretch post option. Finally, cameo appearances from 41-year-old three-time WNBA All-Star Erika de Souza could also be extremely fun and present a change of pace. While the big stars are all frontcourt players - especially important in a group where several teams play fairly big - it is worth noting that part of Brazil’s success at the AmeriCup was also driven by the team’s collective passing ability, tying for the tournament lead with 19.6 assists per game. This was partly because of very diffuse ball-handling - while 10 players averaged at least one assist per game, only one player averaged more than 2.1 per game. Taina Paixao and Debora Costa are both experienced floor generals, and Paixao in particular was indispensable at the AmeriCup as she led the team with 4.1 assists per game while shooting 44.7% from 3-point range. In fact, the team actually recorded a negative point margin with Paixao off the floor despite going undefeated with an average margin of victory of 15.9 points. Especially because this group will be played on home soil, Brazil could make some noise as long as it gets enough production from its perimeter players.
Serbia
Serbia remains in a transition period following the retirement of several major stars from international play after the Tokyo Olympics, only reaching the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup and finishing fifth at Women's EuroBasket 2023. The team’s offense has been powered by combo guard Yvonne Anderson at recent tournaments whose combination of multi-level scoring, passing, and defensive ability stresses opposing teams. It is worth noting that Anderson - now playing for European superteam Fenerbahçe alongside WNBA superstars Emma Meesseman, Napheesa Collier, and Kayla McBride - has taken much more of a playmaking role this club season, recording a 4.38 assist-to-turnover ratio across Turkish league and EuroLeague Women play. Unfortunately, Serbia will be missing another rotational players from its recent runs of success, connecting forward Aleksandra Crvendakic, while two others, combo guard, Nevena Jovanovic and shooting specialist Sasa Cadjo, are on the roster but have not played this club season. While there is not an obvious player to inject into the roster to provide a spark, playmaking wing Jovana Nogic and slashing forward Ivana Raca could continue to increase their level of responsibility, especially on offense. The team’s best chance at a breakout candidate is 24-year-old combo big Masa Jankovic, who had a solid EuroLeague Women season with Romanian club ACS Sepsi-SIC. Even if she is likely to still be backing up veteran center and one-time WNBA player Tina Krajisnik, the two players could plausibly play at least spot minutes next to each other. One other situation to monitor is Anderson’s minutes load as she averaged 34.0 minutes per game at the World Cup and 30.2 minutes per game at Women's EuroBasket. Serbia should still have enough talent to advance, but the erosion of the team’s long-standing core without obvious replacements and the competitiveness of the group could pose difficulties. (Note. This article originally erroneously said that Sasa Cadjo was excluded from the roster.)
Germany
After building success at the youth level in recent years, Germany qualified for Women's EuroBasket 2023 for the first time since 2011 and earned a solid sixth-place finish. Flush with post players but generally playing single-guard lineups, Germany accomplished this through ball and player movement, at the cost of lots of turnovers and leading the tournament in blocks, with only Belgium finishing even close. Germany’s offense ran through 6-foot-4 Leonie Fiebich, a small forward at the European club level who spent most of the tournament playing shooting guard. A former second-round WNBA Draft pick, Fiebich has just signed her rookie-scale contract with the New York Liberty and has had a hyper-efficient debut season in EuroLeague Women with Spanish club Casademont Zaragoza, leading the team to the playoffs in its first appearance in the competition while playing a more natural, mostly off-ball role. Germany reached as high as it did at EuroBasket despite the absence of two star players, sisters Satou and Nyara Sabally. Satou Sabally had a breakout WNBA season in 2023 after injuries had hampered her in previous seasons. Nyara Sabally’s WNBA career is still burgeoning, but she has had a strong start to her European club career, carving out a role with EuroLeague Women championship contender USK Praha. Germany’s lack of quality guard play led to its offense bogging down considerably against the strongest opponents at the Women's EuroBasket, mustering only 50 points in its opener against France (a game Fiebich missed) and a paltry 42 points in its quarterfinal loss to Spain. Satou Sabally’s dynamic playmaking in particular should provide a major boost. However, the Saballys’ presence may not be a panacea; the team only managed to put 53 points on the board in a Women's EuroBasket 2025 qualifying match against Italy where Satou Sabally and Fiebich combined to shoot 6-for-31 (19.4%) from the field. As such, veteran point guard Svenja Brunckhorst’s ability to take pressure off the taller ballhandlers will prove critical. Also of interest will be former WNBA center Marie Gũlich and former second-round draft pick Luisa Geiselsöder, both of whom have put together strong performances in EuroLeague Women, and UCLA defensive playmaker Lina Sontag, who played as a small forward at EuroBasket despite being a post player in the NCAA. Germany plays some of the most distinctly stylistic basketball at the international level, stretching its players’ skill sets, and the question will be if it can throw opponents off enough or simply overwhelm them with their players’ individual talent.
Sopron, Hungary Tournament
Spain
In one of the most notable developments on the international stage in the last few months, Megan Gustafson is now a Spanish citizen. Astou Ndour recently returned to competition after being on maternity leave, missing both the 2023 WNBA season and Women's EuroBasket 2023, but Gustafson will be occupying the naturalized player spot for Spain as Ndour continues her recovery. Otherwise, Spain will feature many of its biggest superstars, led by playmaking forward Alba Torrens who once again led the team in scoring at EuroBasket with 11.5 points per game. Spain is traditionally strong at the point guard position, and in recent years Maite Cazorla has taken the mantle of lead playmaker. Cazorla has continued her meteoric trajectory in the EuroLeague Women regular season where she has a 3.33 assist-to-turnover ratio and is averaging 1.24 points per scoring attempt. Veteran Silvia Dominguez is not on the team’s roster at the backup position, but Cristina Ouviña is back once again while 6-foot Mariona Ortiz provides considerable size for the position in her first major tournament for Spain at the age of 31. Spain also has considerable stylistic diversity on the wings with Torrens, shot-making specialist María Conde, fleet-footed slasher Queralt Casas, and shooters Leonor Rodríguez and Andrea Vilaró. Defensively, Laura Gil and former WNBA second-round pick Raquel Carrera are extremely strong and versatile, having anchored a defense that only allowed 57.3 points per game at EuroBasket, and have outside shooting touch that occasionally extends beyond the 3-point line. Carrera should be on North American fans’ radars because her draft rights are held by the New York Liberty and her connecting skillset could fit well with either half of the Breanna Stewart-Jonquel Jones superstar duo as long as they wear seafoam. What Gustafson provides is what Ndour has traditionally provided: an extra level of one-on-one low post scoring alongside the occasional 3-point shot. As long as she does not take too much off the table defensively, she could perhaps help carry Spain back to the global podium this summer.
Canada
Canada finished fourth in the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup after getting off to a strong defensive start, giving up only 60.2 points per game in pool play and the quarterfinal. Unfortunately, they were unable to maintain this record in the medal rounds, giving up 85 points to the USA in the semifinals and then surrendering 95 in the bronze medal game against Australia after only allowing 75 to the Opals in the group stage. Canada then finished third at the AmeriCup without its four WNBA players, all of whom are in the squad for the qualifying tournament - including Natalie Achonwa who missed the 2023 WNBA season while on maternity leave. Kia Nurse has traditionally been the key offensive option for Canada, albeit not always efficiently, but her minutes were limited as she was still recovering from the injury that knocked her out of the 2022 WNBA season. Bridget Carleton, who was the team’s leading scorer at the World Cup, has a brand-new contract with the Minnesota Lynx and has had a break-through season in EuroLeague Women, averaging 17.0 points per game and shooting 40.0% from 3-point range as an injury replacement for WNBA teammate Diamond Miller. On the interior, one of the hallmarks of Canada’s team in recent years has been its post defense led by players like Achonwa, former WNBA center Kayla Alexander, and Laeticia Amihere. One player on that frontline whom the North American audience will notice is missing is UConn combo post player Aaliyah Edwards, the team’s minutes leader at the AmeriCup. The X-factor for Canada will likely be the efficiency of ballhandlers Shay Colley and Nirra Fields. Colley struggled to score playing in France and has not played since the turn of the calendar to 2024, while Fields has not had a club team all season and recorded only 0.80 points per scoring attempt at the AmeriCup. If Canada can get its offense humming, it stands a great chance of qualifying for Paris despite being in the most competitive group.
Japan
After its dream silver medal finish on home soil at the 2020 Olympics, Japan sputtered a bit at the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, winning only against a Mali team that qualified for the World Cup because Nigeria had withdrawn from the tournament. One of the big keys was the absence of Rui Machida, the record-setting point guard who parlayed her Olympic performance into a season with the Washington Mystics. With exciting on-ball scorer Nako Motohashi also absent, the nation’s seemingly never-ending well of point guards proved drier than expected, with newcomer Shiori Yasuma and rising star Mai Yamamoto both struggling to fill the void. That being said, Saori Miyazaki availed herself well and carried that momentum into last year’s Asia Cup, Yamamoto returned to form at that tournament while Motohashi returned to competition, and Japan almost defeated China despite the continued absence of Machida. For this competition, Machida continues her absence from the national team despite being on the preliminary roster, but Miyazaki, Yamamoto, and Motohashi are all back. Furthermore, 36-year-old veteran Asami Yoshida, whose international career extends all the way back to 2007 and includes averaging 11.2 points and 8.7 assists per game at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, returns to international play for the first time since the 2020 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. This discussion of point guards is material because of how important puncturing the defense has been to Japan’s dynamic, high-intensity offensive attack, both in transition and in the halfcourt. So much of Japan’s attack has been based around ball movement and 3-point shooting. While there is a serious difference in competition level between the World Cup and the weakest competitors at the Asia Cup, there are two important stats worth tracking: 26.8% 3-point shooting and 15.2 assists per game at the World Cup, 40.8% 3-point shooting and 22.2 assists per game at the Asia Cup. It is worth noting that two of Japan’s most exciting young players are neither point guards nor deadeye outside shooters but rather athletic forwards whose best offensive skill comes from attacking the basket: Stephanie Mawuli, who will be back in training camp with the New York Liberty for the second consecutive season, and Himawari Akaho, a defensive ace and a savvy cutter. As always, the team’s X-factor will be veteran post player Maki Takada, an elite roller and popper who is tasked with keeping some of the world’s best post players in check defensively. In a group where all three opponents have big, skilled post rotations and affinities for double-post line-ups, Takada’s contribution will be as important as ever.
Hungary
Hungary recovered from missing the 2021 Women's EuroBasket by reaching its first semifinals since 1991 in the 2023 tournament. While Hungary concentrated its scoring through its athletic post players, with Cyesha Goree and Virag Kiss averaging 14.8 points per game apiece, the team was not playing at full strength in its post rotation. Bernadett Határ was still hobbled by the injury that held her out of basically the entire 2022-23 club season and was clearly not herself while Dorka Juhász remained with the Minnesota Lynx and did not join the team. Határ gives the team an imposing presence at the rim while Juhász will be the frontcourt’s best passer. Juhász will also provide a new element to one of the team’s secondary strengths, as part of Hungary’s advantage came from having wings in Debora Dubei and Reka Lelik who could make plays as passers and shooters. In the time since, Hungarian players have made a splash on the European continental level in a way they had not in some time. With traditional powerhouses Sopron Basket taking a step back from European competition, there was a space for DVTK-Hun-Therm Miskolc to make some noise in the EuroLeague Women, becoming the first Hungarian team other than Sopron to make the playoffs since 2012-13 back when fifteen teams qualified. Miskolc has done so with more players in the national team setup than Sopron has typically employed, with Lelik, defensive Swiss Army knife Nina Aho, and Veronika Kanyasi all having major roles for the team. Furthermore, Juhász, Kiss, Határ, and traditional point guard Agnes Studer have all gotten minutes for contending EuroLeague Women teams based outside Hungary (although Studer has since transferred to a lower-profile but still reputable French team). Even UNI Gyor, despite finishing 2-12 in EuroLeague Women, put up more fight than several of Hungary’s second entrants have in the past, with Goree, Dubei, and young playmaking shooting guard Reka Dombai all having rotational roles for the team. Finally, in addition to Juhász’s promising rookie season, Goree spent some time with the Washington Mystics, Határ returned to the WNBA with the Connecticut Sun, and Kiss has garnered a training camp contract with the Los Angeles Sparks. Top to bottom, Hungary has weapons even if it lacks a clear standout, and it will have momentum coming from more sources than just the hometown fans.
Xi’an, China Tournament Predictions
China
France
Puerto Rico
New Zealand
Antwerp, Belgium Tournament Predictions
USA
Belgium
Nigeria
Senegal
Belém, Brazil Tournament Predictions
Australia
Germany
Serbia
Brazil
Sopron, Hungary Tournament Predictions
Spain
Canada
Hungary
Japan
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This is a very good article. Thanks.