FIBA Women’s World Cup 2026: quarterfinal preview for Thursday in Berlin

The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup runs in Berlin from September 4-13, and the tournament reaches its knockout stage this Thursday with four quarterfinal games. The winner of the entire event earns a direct spot at the LA28 Olympics, raising the stakes for eight teams still alive. Kickoff times stagger through the day: USA-Hungary at 5:30 a.m., China-France at 8:30 a.m., Belgium-Germany at 11:45 a.m. and Australia-Spain at 2:45 p.m.

USA vs. Hungary: Caitlin Clark’s debut and a bid for a 12th title

Team USA opens the knockout round chasing a 12th world championship and a fifth straight, according to USA Basketball. Caitlin Clark is making her World Cup debut in Berlin, and despite coming off the bench, she led the Americans in pool play with 12.8 points per game, plus assists and a true shooting percentage of 80%. That bench role stands out because Team USA has started every game of the tournament with Chelsea Gray, Breanna Stewart and Jackie Young ahead of her. The Americans rolled past China 94-61 during group play. Hungary reached the quarterfinals for the first time behind Minnesota Lynx forward Dorka Juhász.

China vs. France: Han Xu meets the tournament’s record-breaking offense

France enters as FIBA’s top-ranked team in its latest Power Rankings and the tournament’s frontrunner, according to FIBA. The French set a World Cup record with 22 made 3-pointers in a single game during pool play against Nigeria. Gabby Williams and Marine Johannès have both been named among the tournament’s top non-USA performers by SB Nation.

Alongside Belgium’s Emma Meesseman, and France also boasts Dominique Malonga (Seattle Storm), the tournament’s second-leading scorer in the group phase at 19.7 points per game while also pulling down 13.3 rebounds per game. China reached the quarterfinals thanks to Han Xu (New York Liberty), who posted 21 points and 11 rebounds in a 75-72 win over Puerto Rico, and has been the team’s standout player with center Li Yueru unavailable for this tournament.

Belgium vs. Germany: Emma Meesseman leads the Cats into a hostile home crowd

Belgium, the reigning European champion, arrives having beaten Australia 80-68 to clinch its quarterfinal spot, with Meesseman posting 22 points and 10 rebounds in that win. She also posted 30 points in a pool-stage victory, according to FIBA.

ESPN’s quarterfinal preview called Belgium “the better team on paper,” but noted that “Germany will be playing with extra pride and a boisterous home crowd behind it” as the host nation looks for an upset in front of its own fans. Germany is missing Satou Sabally for this home tournament as she recovers from a concussion, leaving forward Frieda Bühner to carry the load as the team’s per-game scoring leader at 15.3 points and its overall efficiency leader at 16.5.

Australia vs. Spain: the Opals lean on depth after losing Sami Whitcomb

Australia survived a scare to get here, beating Italy 82-80 after Italy stormed back with a 31-13 fourth-quarter run. Isobel Borlase (21 years old) delivered one of the best performances of her international career in that win.

The Opals have been without guard Sami Whitcomb since before the tournament began, leaning instead on Alanna Smith and Ezi Magbegor to fill the void. Spain advanced to the quarterfinals during pool play, according to Associated Press coverage of the group stage, with Alba Torrens — a four-time Olympian and four-time World Cup player — providing the veteran leadership and know-how FIBA has highlighted.

The winners of Thursday’s games set up the semifinal bracket: the USA-Hungary victor will face whoever comes out of Australia vs. Spain, according to CBS Sports.