2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup: Preview, schedule and stars to watch with Paris 2024 spot at stake

Tokyo 2020 gold medallists United States will hunt further basketball glory as they bid for a fourth consecutive crown at the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Sydney, Australia from 22 September to 1 October.

Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd and Chelsea Gray are among the newly minted Olympians back in the red, white and blue ready to create more history for the basketball powerhouse who are already 10-time title holders.

Standing between Team USA and the top spot are 11 other nations each with their own credible claim to the podium. They are: Australia, Canada, Japan, China, South Korea, Mali, Serbia, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium and Puerto Rico.

As well as a World championship trophy, on the line a coveted spot for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will also be available for the winner adding an addition incentive to all teams competing.

Here's what you need to know about the showpiece event.

Read more: Australian legend Lauren Jackson is making a sensational comeback.

2022 Women’s Basketball World Cup: Format and teams

12 teams will compete in 38 games across two venues running from September 22 – October 1, 2022, in Sydney, Australia.

The draw for the event took place 3 March earlier this year and split the 12 qualified teams into two groups of six. They are as follows:

Group A

• Belgium (BEL)

• China (CHN)

• Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH)

• Puerto Rico (PUR)

• Korea (KOR)

• United States (USA)

Group B

• France (FRA)

• Serbia (SRB)

• Japan (JPN)

• Mali (MLI)

• Canada (CAN)

• Australia (AUS)

All teams in their respective groups will play each other once over the course of six days with those finishing in the top four advancing to the quarterfinals. A draw will be used to determine the quarterfinal pairings.

Two semi-finals will follow the results of the quarters with the final will take place the next day, 1 October.

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2022 Women’s Basketball World Cup: Day-by-day schedule

Here is a breakdown of the tournament day-by-day. All times are in Australian Eastern Time (UTC +10).

• Thursday 22 September

Group A

10:30 BIH v PUR – Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre

11:30 USA v BEL – Sydney Superdome

17:30 KOR v CHN – Sydney Superdome

Group B

13:00 CAN v SRB – Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre

14:00 JPN v MLI – Sydney Superdome

20:30 AUS v FRA – Sydney Superdome

• Friday 23 September

Group A

10:30 PUR v USA - Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre

13:00 BEL v KOR - Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre

14:30 CHN v BIH – Sydney Superdome

Group B

12:00 SRB v JPN – Sydney Superdome

18:00 FRA v CAN – Sydney Superdome

20:30 MLI v AUS – Sydney Superdome

• Saturday 24 September

Group A

14:30 USA v CHN – Sydney Superdome

18:00 BIH v KOR – Sydney Superdome

20:30 PUR v BEL – Sydney Superdome

Group B

Rest day

• Sunday 25 September

Group A

Rest day

Group B

14:30 MLI v FRA – Sydney Superdome

18:00 AUS v SRB – Sydney Superdome

20:30 JPN v CAN – Sydney Superdome

• Monday 26 September

Group A

11:30 BEL v BIH – Sydney Superdome

14:00 KOR v USA – Sydney Superdome

17:30 CHN v PUR – Sydney Superdome

Group B

13:30 SRB v MLI - Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre

16:00 FRA v JPN - Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre

20:30 AUS v CAN – Sydney Superdome

• Tuesday 27 September

Group A

11:30 PUR v KOR – Sydney Superdome

13:30 CHN v BEL - Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre

14:00 USA v BIH – Sydney Superdome

Group B

16:00 MLI v CAN - Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre

17:30 SRB v FRA – Sydney Superdome

20:30 AUS v JPN – Sydney Superdome

• Wednesday 28 September

Rest day

• Thursday 29 September

12:00 Quarterfinal 1 - Sydney Superdome

14:30 Quarterfinal 2 - Sydney Superdome

18:00 Quarterfinal 3 - Sydney Superdome

20:30 Quarterfinal 4 - Sydney Superdome

• Friday 30 September

17:00 Semi-final 1 - Sydney Superdome

19:30 Semi-final 2- Sydney Superdome

• Saturday 1 October

13:00 Third place game - Sydney Superdome

16:00 Final - Sydney Superdome

2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup: Stars to watch

Breanna Stewart (USA)

Reigning world and Olympic champions Team USA will touchdown in Sydney as the favourites to win this year’s tournament.

In addition to being propped up by an impressive pedigree that includes 10 world titles and nine Olympic gold medals, they brag a roster that blends a ripe amount of depth, youth and experience.

For those looking for the ace in their deck, the case can be made for several players possessing star quality, but when it comes to the international stage, it is hard to look past Breanna Stewart.

Three-time USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year, the 28-year-old Seattle Storm forward has a devastating record while in a US jersey.

Since her call up to the national team in 2013 she has assisted Team USA in claiming gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 (14-0) and at the 2014 and 2018 FIBA World Cups (12-0).

At the 2018 Worlds in Tenerife, Spain, Stewart was awarded the honour of Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after starting all six games and averaging a team-leading 16.3 points per game along with 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

It was an award she would claim again after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, in 2021, where she consistently shone for her team. In the final against Japan, Stewart claimed 14 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four steals to end with a tournament double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Jonquel Jones (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Arguably the best women’s basketball player on the planet, Jonquel Jones and her unique rise to the top are all but sure to snatch some of the spotlight in Sydney.

Currently competing in the 2022 WNBA Finals with the Connecticut Sun, Bahamian-born Jones has entirely altered the fortunes of Bosnia and Herzegovina since she received her dual citizenship and began playing for the team in 2019.

With Jones in their midst, the Eastern European nation has qualified for both EuroBasket and the World Cup for the first time in its history and has produced some considerable upsets along the way.

In the World Cup qualifying tournament earlier this year Jones put up 36 points and 23 rebounds to bank victory over Olympic silver medallists Japan 87-82.

Though Bosnia and Herzegovina face the possibility of being without Jones at the tournament start should the best-of-five WNBA Finals require all the game days to reach a conclusion they can be sure that when the 2021 WNBA MVP does arrive, she will do so in hot form.

Lauren Jackson (Australia)

2006 champions, and 2018 runners-up, Australia will be hoping hosting duties gives them an advantage as they welcome the world to their shores in September.

And if they were looking for a sign that now is the time to knock the Team USA giants off their perch then the return of Lauren Jackson to the roster is surely one.

The 41-year-old WNBA Hall of Famer underlined a remarkable comeback to the game after she was named on her fifth FIBA World Cup roster for Australia by head coach Sandy Brondello.

Jackson returns from retirement looking to write another chapter in what an already stellar career has been.

To date, the centre has clinched two WNBA championships with the Seattle Storm in 2004 and 2010, won league titles in Australia, Spain and Russia, been awarded the WNBA MVP award four times and amassed three Olympic silver medals and one bronze.

The Opal hung up her jersey in 2016 after continual knee injuries threatened her playing career. After retiring she had two sons before mounting her comeback.

Past winners of the FIBA Women’s World Cup

• 2018 – United States

• 2014 – United State

• 2010 – United States

• 2006 – Australia

• 2002 – United States

• 1998 – United States

• 1994 – Brazil

• 1990 – United States