The Spanish women’s basketball team will face Germany, Japan, and Mali in Group A of the 2026 World Cup, which will be held between September 4 and 13 in Berlin, after a draw in which they avoided several of the big favorites. The draw, held at the Kraftwerk Berlin venue in the German capital and in which the World Cup Global Ambassador, American Sue Bird, presented the trophy, resulted in a first phase that, a priori, presents no insurmountable obstacles for the team coached by Miguel Méndez.
Spain was drawn with the host, but avoided the United States, France, and Australia, first, second, and third in the FIBA ‘ranking’, respectively, who were also seeded. The Spanish team, current European runner-up and sixth in the world ranking, is positioned as the strongest rival in Group A, followed by Germany, in 11th place; Japan, in 15th; and Mali, number 18. After their recent qualification in the Pre-World Cup in San Juan, Puerto Rico, ‘La Familia’ returns to a World Cup eight years later after failing to secure a spot in the last one held in Australia in 2022.
In a squad full of emerging talent and with young Awa Fam, Iyana Martín, and Marta Suárez chosen a week ago in the WNBA ‘draft’, the Spanish team will try to surpass the bar set in 2014, when they reached the podium with a silver medal. Only the first-place teams from each of the four World Cup groups, which will feature 16 teams in this edition, will gain direct access to the quarterfinals, while those in second and third place will compete in a preliminary round to reach the knockout stages.
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The ‘group of death’ is D, with the United States, current world champion; China, current runner-up and fourth in the FIBA ‘ranking’; Italy, European bronze medalist; and the Czech Republic, world silver medalist in 2010. In total, 36 matches will be played at the Berlin Arena and the Max Schmeling Hall.
