BERLIN – Cloudy mornings are interrupted by a beating mid-morning sun, even if it stays cold enough for a jumper in the shade. The rain comes suddenly, routinely beating the radar. Skies go grey for hours at a time. Berlin has had a bit of everything with its weather, the perfect backdrop for a World Cup.
Sixteen countries from all around the world are set to compete, starting with Japan and Mali at Berlin Arena, and Australia and Puerto Rico at Max-Schmeling-Halle. Both games tip off at 5:30 a.m. ET on September 4. Four nations with completely different philosophies and at different stages of writing their respective basketball histories.
Kokoro Tanaka, a 20-year-old phenom for Japan, spoke with The IX Sports ahead of her nation opening up proceedings in Berlin:
“It’s my first World Cup, my first international tournament for the whole world and so I just want to play Japan basketball from the get-go. High intensity, high pressure, high pace.”
She elaborated on how to unlock Japan basketball in a World Cup setting.
“Japan basketball is high pace. It’s a pace that we need to sustain and maintain. So we gotta be running all the time, all 40 minutes. And then [Mali are] a very physical team so we’ve got to match our physicality and then play our high-pressure, intense defense for the whole game.”
This level of basketball on a new stage is achievable for Tanaka, who finished fourth in scoring at the Asia Cup in 2025. These weren’t empty numbers either, as she had her three best scoring nights after the group phase. Those were marks of 17 against New Zealand, 27 against China in a critical semi-final win, and 21 in the gold medal match against Australia. Japan nearly won that contest if not for late-game heroics from Alex Wilson.
Tanaka also went 10-for-21 from deep in these three games and notched all of these accomplishments while she was still a teenager.
“No matter what game it is, whether it’s a big game, small game, any type of game I come into, my mentality, just shoot first. Whether that’s my three or that’s a layup. So whether that’s Australia or whether that’s any opponent, I have the same mentality every game, where I gotta attack first and be aggressive.”
Japan’s quickness and roster makeup are markedly different from Mali, who boast WNBA talent in Sika Kone. They’re also home to Mariam Coulibaly, who has been one of the premier scorers in Spain’s basketball league, LF Endesa, throughout her career. Last season she finished second in points per game. The year prior, she led the league with a bullet at 22, 4.2 points better per night than second-placed Chloe Bibby, who took away MVP honors.
Kone and Coulibaly also confirm Tanaka’s point and embody the physicality she mentions. They would both be the biggest presence on Japan’s roster, yet are both, obviously, in Mali colours. It will be a chance for Mali to redeem their 0-5 campaign in the 2022 World Cup. Kone spoke with The IX Sports about her nation’s approach to filling up the win column:
“We have to win as many games as we can [to pass through the group phase]. The objective is to deliver that to Mali. Mali has never been there. To do that, we have to take it game by game, and every game is a final for us.”
What they have done is make their appearance at these international competitions the norm, unlike Italy and Hungary. Former Minnesota Lynx teammates Cecilia Zandalasini and Dorka Juhasz spoke separately with The IX Sports about what it means to represent their countries after decades without a World Cup feature.
“First of all, it’s a great honor to be here because our national team hasn’t been here for like 32 years. So I think we should be really proud of being here. Really enjoying the moment and we know we have come a long way to get here, all of us. Because this group has been together since, I mean, a couple came later, but mostly from 2019, 2021. So we’ve been through a lot to get here. So I think we’re just gonna enjoy this one for sure.”
Juhasz shared somewhat similar insights:
“I feel super excited. This is actually my first tournament with the senior team. I did under-16, under-18 EuroBaskets and stuff like that, but this is the first real tournament setting with these girls for me and for us in Hungary. After 28 years, we’re here at a World Cup. So I think we’re all super excited, just looking forward to that first game. Then obviously our goals are just to get out of the group. So I guess we’re just super excited, super grateful to represent our country and everyone is super excited back in Hungary for us.”
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Juhasz’s pride runs a little deeper too.
“My mom played in the national team as well. So it’s something since I was a baby that I was very familiar with. I wasn’t able to see her play in person, but you know, just watching old tapes of her playing in her hometown, but also just her wearing number 14 on the national team. That’s also why I am repping this jersey. But, you know, honestly, Hungary loves women’s basketball. I’m happy that we are able to finally get back to that level. Hopefully this is kind of giving a little bit of buzz to our country.”
Juhasz’s mom, Hajnalka Balazs, was a 25-year professional who only stopped playing basketball when she fell pregnant with a baby soon to be named Dorka. Hungary differs from the masses once again. Their size is immediately obvious, even with a balanced play style, but players like Juhasz and Virag Takacs-Kiss definitely lead that charge from the inside.
For Zandalasini and Italy, they will hope to let their continuity and fundamentals shine. Her mesmerising shooting stroke is a perfect example of this, lending insight as to how she laid the foundations for it.
“Oh my God, ah, I was actually very young. I used to play with boys because I come from a very small town and we didn’t have many girls playing basketball. So we would unite boys and girls together and I remember I had this coach when I was like 10 years old and he was obsessed with shooting. He would put us on the line against the wall just with the ball, flicking your wrist. We’d do that, I don’t know, like an hour before we even get to practice. It wasn’t even fun at that time. And then I developed that. And also, playing alongside my brother, who is older. Playing the courtyard together and it will also suggest me things like keep your elbow in or whatever. And then, yeah, just working hard.”
For nations like Italy and Hungary, this World Cup is a chance to reintroduce themselves to the world. As for the usual cast of characters at the top end of the competition, they all seem to be impacted by availability. France are without critical depth pieces behind Dominique Malonga, Alexia Chery and Iliana Rupert. The US had picked a younger team even before A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum announced they would be pulling out. Australia were missing a litany of experienced vets, then were dealt with the departure of Sami Whitcomb.
These are all devastating blows for each nation but also allow opportunities to players who weren’t otherwise afforded them. For the US, Washington Mystics dynamic duo Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen replaced former Las Vegas Aces dynamic duo Wilson and Plum. The Mystics 2025 draftees are seemingly inseparable, as Iriafen told The IX Sports:
“I think the both of us, we play off of each other really well. It’s super special that we get to do all these milestones together. But I think both of us, just being ready for any opportunity, doing the little things, whatever the team needs. But energy is definitely going to be a big thing for us.”
“The USA team requires something different. Your role in the W is just not what it is here. So really, I’m just here to provide and just any way I can. I just want to add to this team, you know, whatever that asks of me. Whether that’s defense, rebounding, making open shots, just in any way I can help the team. That’s what I want to do.”
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Preparation for an event as big as a World Cup also comes with its own challenges after being selected just days before flying across the world. Citron told the story of how she found out and spoke on how she would be preparing.
“I found out Friday, last Friday, and no, I had no inkling,” Citron shared. “Just being super intentional. You know, obviously it’s a lot of travel. The time difference is pretty big. But just being intentional, taking care of my body, being mentally locked in on all the plays that we’re adding.”
Iriafen’s story was slightly different.
“I found out on my birthday, which was on August 26th. So I was like, whoa, happy birthday to me. But this is something that you dream of. So even though it was a quick turnaround, it’s like whatever it takes, making sure I was prepared to be here. And now that I’m here, I’m exactly where my feet are and not thinking about anything else but this moment. Thinking about what I need to do for this team, whatever that may look like. But definitely very grateful to be here. But it’s been a crazy couple of days for sure.”
Miela Sowah comes in for Whitcomb in the green and gold. Her turnaround was in the same vein as Washington’s pairing, but she spoke about her own journey to the event.
“Yeah, so pretty much I found out when I was in Connecticut actually, because we were on a nine-day road trip. I found out, I guess, three days before heading out. Oh, it might have actually been four days, that I’ll be coming here. So, obviously was super excited, then just went straight from the road trip straight over here to Berlin. I’ve got all my Valkyries gear just in my suitcase. So yeah, it was pretty crazy. But I obviously had to get here as soon as possible after that Portland game, so yeah, came straight here.”
Although she wasn’t selected to the original World Cup roster, she has had a long run-up with the group in Berlin. She’s one of eight returning Opals from a gold medal effort at the Asia Cup last year.
“It’s just constantly being ready. Opportunities always come up sporadically. It’s that classic quote like when opportunity meets preparation, it equals success, or something. So I think it’s all the hard work I’ve done for the years before this. Then, yeah, being able to play in the Asia Cup too with a fairly similar group as well, obviously helps with the chemistry building. Then kind of understanding what the Opals system is and how I can fit myself in there.”
Australia’s opponents in Puerto Rico are similar to the likes of Mali and Nigeria in their participation at these major tournaments, even if they struggle to find results. Their head coach, Gerardo Batista, was cuttingly honest when he spoke with The IX Sports:
“We know that we are in a tough spot because of the [other] teams. Like the level of the teams, we don’t have that level yet. But the good thing about it is that we believe in ourselves. So, every single time that we step on the court, we try to compete. And that’s the important part for us.”
He balanced this out by celebrating the wins too. What’s known is that Puerto Rico have an honest coach at the helm, which is a great sign for an emerging basketball nation.
“The first [thing] is I appreciate to be here. For us, it’s big. You know to come here. This is our third time in a row that we come to the World Cup. The first time that we came it was 2018 and the result was bad. Second time around in 2022, we advance to the second round. It was good. We beat a couple of teams. In this tournament, what we want to do is just keep growing our sport in Puerto Rico.”
Batista then spoke about the approach against strong nations like Australia and Belgium.
“Go out to play. That’s the main thing: go out to play. They are a deep, talented team. Well coached, they’re great. But what we want to do is just go out and play. Last time that we played them, they are a team that comes hard at you every single time. They try to exploit your difficulties. I know for sure that we have them and then we have Belgium that are great teams. So, the best thing is to go out and play. So we have been working to get better. The only way you get better is to play against these kind of teams, only way. So for us, it’s big because of that.”
As for Nigeria, they are competitive every time they take the court. They always keep themselves in games, which really pays off. At the Paris Olympics in 2024, this led to two comfortable wins against Australia and Canada in the group phase. Forward Victoria Macaulay didn’t mince her words when she spoke about the competitiveness and belief amongst her nation with The IX Sports:
“Honestly, I think it’s in our blood. We really strive for greatness. And we fight for each other and we want to make our country proud. So yeah, I really think this is in our blood.”
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Their identity isn’t always obvious at first, which usually means a basketball team hangs its hat on the defensive end. In Macaulay’s words, Nigeria is no different.
“Defensively I feel like we’re a force. So I definitely feel like that’s kind of our thing. We take a lot of joy and pride in playing and representing our country and the hunger for the game.”
They’re in a group with Hungary, Korea and France. After their excellence and attention to detail at the last Olympics, they will be a challenge for all of the teams in their bucket.
There’s an interesting amalgamation of dynamics in this World Cup, with four general pots that nations find themselves in. The reintroduction, with countries such as Italy and Hungary. The peloton, with the likes of Mali, Nigeria and Puerto Rico. The periphery, which might just be Japan and Germany. And the podium hopefuls, where the US, France, Spain, Belgium, Australia and China find each other again.
So this sets the scene for 2026’s edition of the basketball World Cup. Over the next 10 days in Berlin, it will be a matter of who can get hit with that mid-morning sun while casting a cloud over their opposition.
