Senegal and South Sudan will carry Africa’s hopes into the FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, from 17 to 23 August 2026.
The eight-team competition offers another route towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games for nations that did not qualify for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. Its winner will advance to the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments scheduled for 2028.
Two African teams, two different groups
FIBA’s confirmed draw places South Sudan in Group A with Brazil, Argentina and New Zealand. Senegal are in Group B alongside Canada, hosts Mexico and the Philippines.
Each team will play the other three teams in its group once. The top two teams in each group will advance to the semi-finals, and the winner of the subsequent final will secure a place in the 2028 Olympic qualifying tournaments.
How Senegal and South Sudan reached Guadalajara
Both teams earned their opportunity through their performances at the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket, where they finished among the top four and progressed to the 2026 Women’s World Cup qualifying tournaments.
Senegal recorded a 1–4 mark and South Sudan finished 0–5 in those March qualifiers. Neither reached the Women’s World Cup in Berlin, but the Guadalajara tournament keeps an Olympic pathway open.
What is at stake
Only the tournament winner will claim the available place in the 2028 Olympic qualifying stage. Teams that do not win in Guadalajara are not eliminated from the wider Olympic pathway: FIBA says they can still progress through their respective 2027 continental competitions.
For Senegal, the tournament is another opportunity to draw on one of Africa’s established women’s basketball traditions. For South Sudan, it is a further step in the development of a senior women’s programme gaining experience against teams from several regions.
Sources: FIBA Africa: South Sudan and Senegal in hunt for a place at the 2028 Women’s Olympics; FIBA: tournament lineup and format confirmed.
