China will take part in the IFBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Sydney, Australia starting from September 22 to October 1. The United States, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Korea, and Puerto Rico are in Group A.
In May, the Chinese national squad came together to get ready for the World Cup. They arrived in Europe in mid-autumn for a series of exhibition matches against established powers like France, Spain, and Serbia before flying to Australia in mid-September.
China has since last event participated in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the FIBA World Cup in Spain in 2018, and the Asian Games in Indonesia in 2018. They defeated United Korea in Indonesia to win the gold medal, finished sixth in the World Cup after falling to France in Spain, and advanced to the Tokyo Olympics quarterfinals before falling to Serbia. This was their first gold medal in eight years.
China’s athletes competed bravely in the aforementioned international competitions despite facing formidable opposition, but they may still do better in several areas, such as limiting turnovers.
USA: The Biggest Threat for Chian in World Cup
China’s toughest challenger in Group A of the World Cup in Australia will be the United States, which defeated China 100-88 in Spain in 2018. Since 1983, that was the narrowest deficit between the two clubs in a matchup. So long as they are not upset by South Korea or Puerto Rico, the USA is expected to lead this group and leave three quarterfinal slots for China, Belgium, and Bosnia and Herzegovina to secure.
However, China must finish higher than fourth in their group to avoid playing tough opponents like Serbia or Australia too early in the knockout stage. Therefore, they will need to defeat Belgium or Bosnia and Herzegovina at least once. Given that WNBA players are on both sides, it won’t be simple.
WNBA Reinforcements at the World Cup
Han Xu of the New York Liberty and Li Yueru of the Chicago Sky are two WNBA players from China. Although they both joined the national franchise, their injuries are still bothering them. The team’s performance at the World Cup will be greatly influenced by how quickly they are able to regain their best form and develop chemistry.
South Korea on September 22, Bosnia and Herzegovina on September 23, the United States on September 24, Puerto Rico on September 26, and Belgium on September 27 will be China’s group opponents.
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