Draw for the World Cup in Berlin: “A huge signal for German women’s basketball”

The World Cup will be held in Berlin from September 4th to 13th. The venues are the large arena in Friedrichshain and the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Prenzlauer Berg. Only the group winners qualify directly for the quarter-finals. The second and third placed teams meet in an intermediate round.

The German team is going into the tournament very confidently. “Individually, we are at a very high level. If we bring that together, we are a top team,” said Gülich, who is in the final stages of her rehab after a torn cruciate ligament.

During a course in the fall, national coach Olaf Lange and the team already agreed on a common approach. “The clear goal is: a medal,” said Alba’s national player Alina Hartmann in an interview with the Tagesspiegel.

Dirk Nowitzki also sees good opportunities for the DBB team. The USA around the young stars Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers as well as experienced national players such as A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are the absolute top favorites, but behind them there are many teams at a similar level.

“The goal must first be the quarter-finals, and if the girls then outgrow themselves and let themselves be carried away by the euphoria in their own country, anything is possible,” said Nowitzki at a media round on the occasion of his induction into the Fiba Hall of Fame.

In recent years, women’s basketball in Germany has made great strides forward – even though the structures in many clubs and in the Bundesliga are still far from professionalized.

Nevertheless, five German players will play in the WNBA for the first time next season. Shooting star Frieda Bühner was recently drafted by Portland and strengthens the DBB faction around Satou and Nyara Sabally, Leonie Fiebich and Luisa Geiselsöder.

This individual quality has also been noticeable in the national team for several years. In 2023, Germany took part in a European Championship for the first time in twelve years and, with sixth place, laid the foundation for the Olympic premiere in Paris. Reaching the quarter-finals there was another strong result, but was outshone by the sensational gold in the 3×3.

At the European Championships last summer with a preliminary round in Hamburg, the DBB team achieved fifth place, their best placement in almost 30 years. “We have made incredible development in the last few years,” said Sonja Greinacher, long-time national player and 3×3 Olympic champion in 2024. “This is a huge signal for German women’s basketball.”