BERLIN, April 21 (Xinhua) -- China was drawn with defending champion the United States, Italy and the Czech Republic in Group D as the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup draw was held here on Tuesday.
The 16-team tournament, scheduled for September 4-13 in the German capital, will mark the 20th edition of the Women's World Cup and the first to feature an expanded field of 16 teams, up from 12 at the previous edition in Sydney in 2022.
Group A consists of Japan, Spain, Germany and Mali, while Group B features Hungary, South Korea, Nigeria and France. Belgium was placed in Group C alongside Australia, Puerto Rico and Turkiye.
FIBA said the expansion of the tournament reflects the growing popularity of the women's game worldwide following what it described as the most successful edition ever in Sydney four years ago.
The ceremony also welcomed the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2026, which includes China's Wang Zhizhi, the United States' Sue Bird, Germany's Dirk Nowitzki, France's Celine Dumerc, Mozambique's Clarisse Machanguana and Turkiye's Hedo Turkoglu. Poland's Ludwik Mietta-Mikolajewicz was inducted as a coach, while Chile's Ismenia Pauchard was honored posthumously.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ceremony, Wang said he was delighted to receive the honor from FIBA.
"I am very happy to receive this honor awarded by FIBA. It is a recognition of my career," Wang said. "I hope more young people will fall in love with basketball, and I also hope Chinese basketball will continue to improve." ■
