2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup

The 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, the 19th edition of FIBA's premier international tournament for women's national basketball teams, was held in Sydney, Australia, between 22 September and 1 October 2022.^[1]

2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup

Tournament details
Host country	Australia
City	Sydney
Dates	22 September – 1 October
Teams	12
Venue(s)	2 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions	United States (11th title)
Runners-up	China
Third place	Australia
Fourth place	Canada
Tournament statistics
Games played	38
Attendance	145,519 (3,829 per game)
MVP	A'ja Wilson
Top scorer	Arella Guirantes (18.2 points per game)
← 2018 2026 →

The United States were the three-time defending champion,^[2] and retained the title after a finals win over China in front of 15,895 attendants.^[3] Host Australia captured the bronze medal with a win against Canada.^[4]

The tournament broke the record for spectators, with 145,519 people attending in total.^[5]

Hosts selection

Australia and Russia were the only two federations bidding for the tournament. The decision was made on 26 March 2020 during a video conference.^[1]

Venues

The tournament was played at two venues inside the Sydney Olympic Park.

Sydney		Sydney
Sydney SuperDome	State Sports Centre
Capacity: 21,032	Capacity: 5,006

Qualification

Australia as the hosts automatically qualified for the tournament in March 2020. All other teams qualified through qualifying tournaments, after finishing as the top teams during their regional tournament. A total of 12 teams played in those tournaments for the remaining spots.^[6]

The shown FIBA ranking indicates the ranking before the tournament.

On 1 March 2022, Russia was disqualified after being suspended by FIBA due to the invasion of Ukraine, with Puerto Rico being awarded the first wildcard as their replacement on 18 May.^[7][8]

Nigeria were forced to withdraw in June 2022 due to the political situation in the country, and were replaced by Mali (the runners-up at the African Championship).^[9]

Qualification	Hosts	Date(s)	Spot(s)	Qualifier(s)
Host nation	N/A	26 March 2020	1	Australia
2020 Summer Olympics	Tokyo	26 July – 8 August 2021	1	United States
Qualifying Tournament	Belgrade	10–13 February 2022	2	Serbia  South Korea
			3	China  Nigeria  France  Mali
	Osaka		3	Canada  Japan  Bosnia and Herzegovina
	Washington, D.C.		2	Belgium  Russia  Puerto Rico

Qualified teams

Team	Qualification		Appearance			Best Performance	FIBA World Ranking	FIBA Zone Ranking
	Method	Date	Last	Total	Streak
Australia	Host nation	26 March 2020	2018	16	15	Champions (2006)	3	1
United States	Olympic champions	8 August 2021		18	16	Champions (1953, 1957, 1979, 1986, 1990, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, 2018)	1	1
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Qualifying Tournament	5 February 2022	Debut				26	17
Canada			2018	12	5	Third place (1979, 1986)	4	2
Japan				9	4	Runners-up (1975)	8	3
China		11 February 2022		11	11	Runners-up (1994)	7	2
France				11	6	Third place (1953)	6	3
South Korea		12 February 2022		16	16	Runners-up (1967, 1979)	13	4
Serbia			2014	3	1	Eighth place (2014)	10	5
Nigeria		13 February 2022	2018	3	2	Eighth place (2018)	14	1
Belgium				2	2	Fourth place (2018)	5	2
Russia		14 February 2022	2010	5	1	Runners-up (1998, 2002, 2006)	12	7
Puerto Rico	Wildcards	18 May 2022	2018	2	2	16th place (2018)	17	4
Mali		2 June 2022	2010	2	1	15th place (2010)	37	3

Draw

The official draw ceremony took place on 3 March 2022 in Sydney.^[10][11]

Pot 1 Team Pos  United States 1  Australia 3  Canada 4  Belgium 5  France 6  China 7

Pot 2 Team Pos  Japan 8  Serbia 10  South Korea 13  Nigeria[a] 14  Puerto Rico[b] 17  Bosnia and Herzegovina 26

1. Nigeria would later withdraw and was replaced by Mali
2. Team not determined at time of draw

Referees

The following 23 referees were selected for the tournament.^[12]

• Scott Beker (AUS)
• Christopher Reid (AUS)
• Andreia Silva (BRA)
• Maripier Malo (CAN)
• Yu Jung (TPE)
• Martin Vulić (CRO)
• Maj Forsberg (DEN)
• Sara El-Sharnouby (EGY)
• Daigo Urushima (JPN)
• Yana Nikogossyan (KAZ)
• Gatis Saliņš (LAT)
• Viola Györgyi (HUN)
• Ryan Jones (NZL)
• Julio Anaya (PAN)
• Wojciech Liszka (POL)
• Johnny Batista (PUR)
• Yasmina Alcaraz (ESP)
• Ariadna Chueca (ESP)
• Amir Taboubi (TUN)
• Özlem Yalman (TUR)
• Amy Bonner (USA)
• Blanca Burns (USA)
• Joyce Muchenu (ZIM)

Squads

Main article: 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup squads

Each team consisted of twelve players.

Preliminary round

Group A

Main article: 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Group A

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Qualification
1	United States	5	5	0	536	305	+231	10	Final round
2	China	5	4	1	444	287	+157	9
3	Belgium	5	3	2	364	349	+15	8
4	Puerto Rico	5	2	3	341	400	−59	7
5	South Korea	5	1	4	346	494	−148	6
6	Bosnia and Herzegovina	5	0	5	289	485	−196	5

Source: FIBA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.

22 September 2022
Bosnia and Herzegovina		58–82		Puerto Rico
United States		87–72		Belgium
South Korea		44–107		China
23 September 2022
Puerto Rico		42–106		United States
Belgium		84–61		South Korea
China		98–51		Bosnia and Herzegovina
24 September 2022
United States		77–63		China
Bosnia and Herzegovina		66–99		South Korea
Puerto Rico		65–68		Belgium
26 September 2022
Belgium		85–55		Bosnia and Herzegovina
South Korea		69–145		United States
China		95–60		Puerto Rico
27 September 2022
Puerto Rico		92–73		South Korea
China		81–55		Belgium
United States		121–59		Bosnia and Herzegovina

Group B

Main article: 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Group B

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Qualification
1	Australia (H)	5	4	1	390	308	+82	9[a]	Final round
2	Canada	5	4	1	356	301	+55	9[a]
3	Serbia	5	3	2	332	330	+2	8[b]
4	France	5	3	2	318	296	+22	8[b]
5	Japan	5	1	4	316	333	−17	6
6	Mali	5	0	5	306	450	−144	5

Source: FIBA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
(H) Hosts
Notes:

1. Australia 75–72 Canada
2. Serbia 68–62 France

22 September 2022
Canada		67–60		Serbia
Japan		89–56		Mali
Australia		57–70		France
23 September 2022
Serbia		69–64		Japan
France		45–59		Canada
Mali		58–118		Australia
25 September 2022
Mali		59–74		France
Australia		69–54		Serbia
Japan		56–70		Canada
26 September 2022
Serbia		81–68		Mali
France		67–53		Japan
Canada		72–75		Australia
27 September 2022
Mali		65–88		Canada
Serbia		68–62		France
Australia		71–54		Japan

Knockout stage

Main article: 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup final round

A draw was conducted to decide the pairings of the quarterfinals. The two best-ranked teams in each group were drawn against the two teams ranked third and fourth in the other group.^[13]

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Final
	29 September
	Belgium	69
					30 September
	Australia	86
					Australia	59
	29 September
					China	61
	China	85
									1 October
	France	71
									China	61
	29 September
									United States	83
	Puerto Rico	60
					30 September
	Canada	79
					Canada	43
	29 September
					United States	83			Third place
	United States	88
									1 October
	Serbia	55
									Australia	95
									Canada	65

Final standings

Rank[14]	Team	GP	W/L	FIBA World Rankings
				Before	After	Change
	United States	8	8–0	1	1	0
	China	8	6–2	7	2	+5
	Australia	8	6–2	3	3	0
4	Canada	8	5–3	4	5	−1
Eliminated in Quarterfinals
5	Belgium	6	3–3	5	7	−2
6	Serbia	6	3–3	10	8	+2
7	France	6	3–3	6	6	0
8	Puerto Rico	6	2–4	16	10	+6
Eliminated in Preliminary round fifth placed teams
9	Japan	5	1–4	8	9	−1
10	South Korea	5	1–4	11	12	−1
Eliminated in Preliminary round sixth placed teams
11	Mali	5	0–5	35	26	+9
12	Bosnia and Herzegovina	5	0–5	24	14	+10

Qualified for the 2024 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments

Statistics and awards

Statistical leaders

Players

Points Name PPG[15] Arella Guirantes 18.2 Kang Lee-seul 17.2 A'ja Wilson 17.2 Li Meng 16.0 Kelsey Plum 15.8 Gabby Williams

Rebounds Name RPG Sika Koné 11.8 Kayla Alexander 9.6 Jonquel Jones 8.8 Emma Meesseman 8.5 Han Xu 8.4

Assists Name APG Yvonne Anderson 6.5 Julie Allemand 6.3 Emma Meesseman 6.3 Chelsea Gray 5.3 Steph Talbot 5.3

Blocks Name BPG Diana Balayera 1.8 Han Xu 1.8 Emma Meesseman Ezi Magbegor 1.4 Breanna Stewart

Steals Name SPG Sarah Michel 2.5 Alyssa Thomas 2.4 A'ja Wilson 2.2 Julie Allemand 1.8 Yvonne Anderson

Efficiency Name EFFPG A'ja Wilson 24.5 Alyssa Thomas 20.0 Breanna Stewart 17.9 Han Xu 17.6 Emma Meesseman 17.0

Teams

Points Name PPG[16]  United States 98.8  China 81.4  Australia 78.8  Belgium 72.2  South Korea 69.2

Rebounds Name RPG  United States 46.9  Australia 45.3  Canada 42.5  China 41.9  Mali 40.0

Assists Name APG  United States 26.0  China 23.9  Belgium 22.0  Australia 21.1  South Korea 17.0

Blocks Name BPG  Australia 5.4  Canada 5.3  United States 5.0  Mali 3.8  France 3.7

Steals Name SPG  United States 11.8  France 10.8  Belgium 10.2  Canada 8.0  South Korea 7.8

Efficiency Name EFFPG  United States 134.3  China 104.4  Australia 97.6  Belgium 86.8  Canada 72.1

Awards

The awards were announced on 1 October 2022.^[17]

Award	Player
All-Tournament First Team	A'ja Wilson
	Breanna Stewart
	Han Xu
	Steph Talbot
	Bridget Carleton
All-Tournament Second Team	Alyssa Thomas
	Li Yueru
	Arella Guirantes
	Gabby Williams
	Yvonne Anderson
Most Valuable Player	A'ja Wilson
Best Defensive Player	Alyssa Thomas
Best Coach	Zheng Wei

Marketing

Logo and slogan

FIBA released the tournament slogan "Nothing Beats Like It" on 20 December 2021 as part of a promotional campaign.^[18][19]

The tournament logo was revealed on 10 May, 2021, in a ceremony to mark 500 days until the tournament. The logo was inspired from the Indigenous artwork My Story, created by 14-year-old Aboriginal basketballer and artist Amarlie "Marlii" Briscoe. The logo features a basketball incorporating the designs used in Briscoe's artwork, also encompassing the newly-designed trophy for the tournament. The logo was created by VMLY&R Branding alongside Indigenous Australian-led creative consultancy Campfire x and Briscoe herself.^[20]

Mascot

The mascot, "Karla the kangaroo", was revealed on 22 September 2021, exactly one year before the tournament. The mascot's character is a teenage kangaroo from Alice Springs, wearing a blue uniform. The kangaroo was chosen to be the mascot due to its cultural importance to Australia. The mascot was designed by design agency Spike Creative.^[21]

See also

• 2023 FIBA Men's Basketball World Cup

References

1. "Australia announced as host of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022". FIBA. 26 March 2020.
2. "USA three-peat as World Champions, punch ticket to Tokyo 2020 Olympics". FIBA. 30 September 2018.
3. "USA sink China for 11th title: World Champions!". FIBA. 1 October 2022.
4. "Fairytale finish for Lauren Jackson: 30 points and the bronze". FIBA. 1 October 2022.
5. "Most attended Women's World Cup ever". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
6. "How to Qualify". FIBA.basketball.
7. "FIBA statement on Russian teams and officials". FIBA.basketball. 1 March 2022.
8. "FIBA decisions on Russia and Belarus for upcoming competitions". FIBA.basketball. 18 May 2022.
9. "FIBA decision on Nigeria's participation in the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022". FIBA.basketball. 2 June 2022.
10. "FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 field set following end of Qualifying Tournaments". FIBA.basketball. 15 February 2022.
11. "Australia basketball legend to perform Draw of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022". FIBA.basketball. 1 March 2022.
12. "Referees". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
13. "Pairings confirmed for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 knockout rounds". FIBA.basketball. 27 September 2022.
14. "Tournament summary" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
15. Player statistics
16. Team statistics
17. "A'Ja Wilson crowned TISSOT MVP to lead Google All-Star Five". fiba.basketball. 1 October 2022.
18. "FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 launches creative campaign 'Nothing Beats Like It'". FIBA. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
19. Burke, Patrick (4 January 2022). "FIBA launches "Nothing Beats Like It" campaign for 2022 Women's World Cup in Sydney". Inside the Games. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
20. "Women's World Cup logo revealed; Opals legend Jackson named ambassador". FIBA. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
21. "With one year to the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022, meet event mascot Karla the kangaroo". FIBA. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2023.

External links

• Official website