The team edged past their Ugandan counterpart by 68 to 67 points|Courtesy

South Sudan’s women’s basketball team has secured a place in the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifying tournaments after advancing to the semifinals of the 2025 Women’s Afro Basket.

Alongside Nigeria, Mali, and Senegal, Nigeria’s also earned qualification, representing Africa among the 24 national teams that will battle for World Cup slots in four global qualifying tournaments scheduled for March 2026.

The Bright Starlets edged out Uganda in a thrilling 69–68 victory, earning a ticket to both the next round of the continental championship and their first-ever appearance at a FIBA World Cup.

South Sudan made it to Abidjan with a wildcard. They lost both Group B games against Mali 53-55 and Cameroon 63-70, but redeemed themselves in the round of 16.

After finishing third in the group, South Sudan defeated Egypt 75-65 to qualify for the quarter-finals to meet Uganda. They won and reached the semi-finals.

South Sudan will face Mali in the semi-finals on August 2, as they continue their journey toward claiming the African title.

While Nigeria will face Senegal.

South Sudan, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal will join a group of 24 national teams that will compete in four FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 qualifying tournaments.

Each tournament features six teams, and the tournaments will determine the 16 teams that will compete in the Women’s World Cup in Germany.

Brazil, Argentina, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Colombia will represent the Americas in the World Cup Qualifiers.

Tickets for the World Cup Qualifying Tournaments went to the following Asian and Oceania teams: Japan, China, Korea, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Australia.

The European representatives are the 2026 World Cup hosts, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, and Turkey.