The FIBA World Cup Is Becoming Women’s Basketball’s Global Growth Test

Originally posted on EssentiallySports By Papiya Chatterjee | Last updated Sep 13, 2026 11:18 AM ET

Women’s basketball is on fire, but the real test is whether that heat can travel beyond familiar borders. With the WNBA’s biggest stars now stepping onto the FIBA World Cup stage, Berlin offers a chance to turn growing attention into a truly global basketball business, but the real question is how?

For the record, the event dates back to 1953, when the first edition was held in Chile. In its 20th edition, games are taking place at the 14,000-seat Berlin Arena and the 9,000-capacity Max-Schmeling-Halle. The tournament has expanded to 16 teams after the success of the 2022 edition and the growing popularity of women’s basketball. But the WNBA star power is what is generating more buzz.

That combination could help FIBA cast a wider net and attract people who may not usually follow international women’s basketball. But the million-dollar question: will those fans follow them from the WNBA to international basketball? The initial numbers show promising signs.

The Germany-Spain matchup was sold out, with 12,550 fans in attendance. What’s interesting is that Germany lost 84-53, but even after that, fans showed up when Germany faced Japan.

Riding on the same confidence, FIBA is expecting more than 200,000 fans to attend the 2026 Women’s Basketball World Cup Final at Berlin Arena. FIBA now has to see whether all the attention around the Women’s World Cup can turn into long-term business value.

The 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Sydney was a huge success in terms of grabbing fans’ attention and numbers.

The numbers kept piling up on the broadcast side:

That puts Berlin 2026 in a tough spot because Sydney has set the bar high. But FIBA has more arsenal with it this time.

FIBA’s website traffic shows which players are getting the most attention from fans during the 2026 Women’s Basketball World Cup. Here are the top 10 most-visited player pages:

Clark’s presence gives the tournament a new kind of commercial pull. She has already built a huge audience through college basketball and the WNBA, and now she is bringing the same for Team USA on the international stage. Her records prove it.

Then there’s Zhang Ziyu, who caught eyes during the World Cup. In China’s opening game against the U.S., she scored 13 points, made 9 of 10 free throws, and blocked two shots. That performance, which came with a huge height difference between her and the American players, became a viral talking point on social media, and it’s part of a bigger story as well.

Its move to DAZN gives FIBA a chance to gain new long-term fans. Someone may watch the tournament because of Caitlin Clark or another star, but FIBA’s bigger goal is to keep that person interested in more FIBA games after the World Cup, such as World Cup qualifiers, Continental Cups, or other national-team events.

Then, when the Olympics arrive, the same fan already knows and follows those players. Later, they may watch those players in their domestic leagues or the WNBA. The idea is to keep the fan moving from one competition to the next instead of losing them after the World Cup.

Along with this, other things also help them generate revenue. Fans buy tickets, watch games, subscribe to streams, buy merchandise, follow players online, and attract sponsors and advertisers. So, it will be interesting to see how well FIBA continues to do it.