The United States and France have secured spots for the upcoming Paris Olympics this summer in women's basketball. The remaining ten spots are to be determined this week through four qualifying tournaments held across the globe.
Belgium, China, Hungary, and Brazil will each serve as hosts for four teams, competing in a round-robin format starting Thursday. In Brazil and Hungary, the top three teams will secure their places in the Olympics.
Meanwhile, in Belgium and China, the top two teams, excluding the U.S. and France, will also earn qualifications for the Games.
The U.S. has assembled a roster filled with WNBA players for the tournament in Belgium.
Their schedule includes matches against the host nation on Thursday, followed by games against Senegal and Nigeria over the weekend.
Notably absent from the roster are Olympians A'ja Wilson, Brittney Griner, and Chelsea Gray, all of whom remain strong candidates for the Paris team.
While the U.S. is using professional players on its roster, the teams playing in Brazil have a few college players. South Carolina star Kamilla Cardoso is missing the No. 1 Gamecocks' next two games to compete with the Brazilian team.
UCLA forward Lina Sontag is playing with the German team, and Angela Dugalic is with the Serbian squad.
Washington State's Charlisse Leger-Walker was set to play for New Zealand before she tore her right ACL late last month.
Here are a few other things to look for in the qualifying tournaments:
Nigeria will play Senegal on the opening night in Belgium, and the winner will likely be the Olympic representative for the continent. African teams have struggled at the Olympics since first participating in 1996, winning just once in the 2004 Games. Nigeria beat South Korea in that contest.
Nigeria did have a major breakthrough at the 2018 World Cup, making the quarterfinals before falling to the U.S. It was the first time that any African country had reached the quarterfinals.
Lauren Jackson’s international basketball career with the Australian national team will have at least one more chapter to it. The 42-year-old three-time WNBA MVP, who has won four Olympic medals with Australia, is part of the Opals team that will play in Brazil.
Jackson capped off an incredible comeback at the World Cup in 2022, helping the host nation win a bronze medal. She scored 30 points in that game to help Australia rout Canada 95-65. She had retired from playing in 2016 after knee injuries derailed her career, missing the Rio Olympics. She slowly returned, playing in a domestic Australian league the last few years.
Germany, led by the Sabally sisters, Satou and Nyara, is trying to earn its first trip to the Olympics. It would be an extra boost for the country that is hosting the 2026 World Cup.
Former Canada coach Lisa Thomaidis took over the German team in April, playing in Brazil with Australia and Serbia.
Canada guard Kia Nurse said on a conference call that she would miss the tournament because of a minor injury. With France already having a berth in the Olympics locked up and China hosting the qualifying tournament, it is likely that the winner of the game between Puerto Rico and New Zealand will get the other bid from that area.
