FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026

Ten days of world-class basketball in Berlin

From 4 to 13 September 2026, Berlin hosts the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. Sixteen national teams compete for the title, including host nation Germany. For you that means ten days of world-class basketball in two arenas, with group stage, knockout rounds and a final weekend.

This is the second time Germany stages the World Cup, and this time it is all in Berlin. Basketball live means pace, arena energy and tension until the last second. The best part: you are right in the middle of Berlin. Food, nights out, sightseeing, all of it is there, and September often shows the city at its most pleasant.

When and where in Berlin

Games tip off at two venues. The Berlin Arena (Uber Arena) in Friedrichshain is the main stage: two preliminary groups and the entire final round. The Max-Schmeling-Halle in Prenzlauer Berg also hosts two preliminary groups. Capacities are currently listed at around 14,500 and 8,500 seats.

The group stage runs from 4 to 7 September. Qualification games for the quarter-finals follow on 8 and 9 September, quarter-finals on 10 September, semi-finals on 12 September, and the third-place game plus final on 13 September. Tickets and tip-off times are on the official ticket pages.

How the tournament works

Sixteen teams start in four groups of four. Group winners go straight to the quarter-finals. Second- and third-placed teams play qualification games for the remaining spots. That keeps the days between group stage and final weekend interesting if you stay longer or only book the final weekend.

You do not need to be a stats geek to enjoy it. A ticket, a team to follow and the arena atmosphere are often enough. If you want to dig deeper, keep an eye on the schedule and which arena hosts which games once FIBA locks the final details.

Who is playing in Berlin

The draw produced four groups. Group A pairs host Germany with Spain, Japan and Mali. Group B brings together France, Nigeria, South Korea and Hungary. Group C features Australia, Belgium, Puerto Rico and Türkiye. Group D is the heavy draw with the USA, China, Italy and Czechia.

The USA are defending champions: in Sydney in 2022 they beat China 83–61 in the final for a fourth straight World Cup title and an eleventh overall. That same matchup is already back on opening day. The Americans remain favourite number one. France, Australia, Belgium, China and Spain are among the strong contenders for the quarter-finals and beyond.

For the German team, the group stage means Spain and Japan first, then Mali. Home energy in Berlin can go a long way if you want to see the DBB women live.

How to plan your game days

Two arenas mean two cult neighbourhoods. And that is exactly what makes the World Cup in Berlin bigger than basketball alone.

The Max-Schmeling-Halle sits on Falkplatz in Prenzlauer Berg, at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. From there you walk straight into Mauerpark: flea-market energy on weekends, street music, people on the grass, sometimes a little rougher and wilder than a classic city park, and that is why it feels so Berlin. Before tip-off or afterwards you can catch your breath here, grab a coffee or simply sit and watch the city. If you take the U8 to Voltastraße, you get off almost at the Berlin Wall Memorial: open-air exhibition, wall documentation and the monument on Bernauer Straße. From there it is a solid ten-minute walk along the old border line, through Mauerpark or across the sports park grounds to Falkplatz. You keep the rhythm of the games in sight and take a piece of Berlin history with you.

The Berlin Arena sits on the Spree between Ostbahnhof and Warschauer Bridge. Right around the corner the East Side Gallery runs along the old wall, and a few minutes further you are on Warschauer Straße in the middle of Friedrichshain: bars, Spätis, the RAW area, that slightly louder, restless East Berlin feeling. From here you can take the neighbourhood before or after the game without first crossing half the city.

Tip-off in the group stage is often morning and evening. On the current schedule many games tip at 11:30 a.m. and in the evening from about 5:30 or 6:00 p.m., sometimes later toward 8 or 9 p.m. Between an early and a later game there is time for exactly these routes. On final weekend everything tightens into the Berlin Arena. A quieter group-stage day in Prenzlauer Berg before that helps you arrive in Friedrichshain with energy on Saturday and Sunday. Exact tip-offs can still shift. Best check them beforehand on the official schedule.

Staying for the FIBA World Cup

The World Cup plays in two arenas: the Berlin Arena on the Spree in Friedrichshain and the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Prenzlauer Berg. From our the YARD Berlin you reach the arena by taxi or Uber in about ten to twelve minutes and land back in Kreuzberg afterwards. On the U3 from Prinzenstraße it is only four stops to Warschauer Straße. From there you walk easily to the Berlin Arena. After a full game day you can unwind in the house spa: pool, sauna, fitness, just chill. Where to eat before or after you are back is in our Kreuzberg restaurant guide.

Our CALMA Berlin Mitte on Linienstraße works well for games at the Max-Schmeling-Halle – by car often about thirteen to fifteen minutes – and you are right in the Berlin feeling of Mitte, with bars, restaurants and short walks into the city. Tips for that are in our Mitte restaurant guide. Practical and dense with contemporary history at the same time is arriving without a taxi: from CALMA it is only a few metres to Oranienburger Tor. Tram 12 leaves from there about every ten minutes toward Prenzlauer Berg, past the Berlin Wall open-air exhibition, and drops you close to the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. From there you walk across the grounds or through Mauerpark to the Max-Schmeling-Halle. Alternative: Rosenthaler Platz, U8 to Voltastraße, then the same route along the memorial. That turns the way to tip-off into a piece of Berlin history.

Both houses belong to little BIG hotels in Berlin. For the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup you can of course also stay in our other three houses: fjord hotel berlin, LINDEMANN’S and Anna 1908. With code LBH_FIBA26 you save 5% on stays from 3 to 14 September 2026. From five rooms, group bookings are possible with us.