The women’s 5×5 basketball competition begins Sunday, July 28 and concludes Sunday, August 11 with the gold medal game. The field features 12 national teams, divided into three groups of four teams.

Group A: Serbia, Spain, China, Puerto Rico

Group B: Canada, Nigeria, Australia, France

Group C: Germany, United States, Japan, Belgium

Group play consists of a single round-robin tournament, with the first- and second-place teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The top two third-place teams also will advance to the quarters, where, after a draw, the competition becomes a single-elimination tournament, which will begin on Wednesday, August 7. Group games will be held at Pierre Malloy Stadium in Lille, France, while Accor Arena in Paris will host the quarterfinals, semifinals and medal games.

Here’s more on the four teams contending to advance out of Group C:

Germany

Roster: Romy Bear, Emily Bessoir, Freida Buehner, Leonie Fiebich, Luisa Geiselsöder, Marie Gülich, Alina Hartmann, Alexis Peterson, Nyara Sabally, Satou Sabally, Lina Sontag, Alexandra Wilke

Germany’s trip to Paris should be a celebratory one, as the national team has qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time. Head coach Lisa Thomaidis is sure to rely on the Sabally sisters—2023 WNBA Most Improved Player Satou of the Dallas Wings and the younger Nyara of the New York Liberty—as well as wing Leonie Fiebich, who is enjoying a successful WNBA debut season with the Liberty. The German squad also claims the talents of several former collegiate standouts, including two with WNBA experience in guard Alexis Peterson, who starred at Syracuse (2013-17) and played one season for the Seattle Storm (2017), and center Marie Gülich, who was first round pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft out of Oregon State (2014-18) and played for the Phoenix Mercury (2018), Atlanta Dream (2019) and Los Angeles Sparks (2020). Forwards Emily Bessoir and Lina Sontag, both of whom played for UCLA last season but will not be returning to the Bruins, give the Germans additional depth.

United States

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Roster: Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, Dianna Taurasi, Alyssa Thomas, A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young

Head coach Cheryl Reeve is tasked with ensuring a stacked American squad continues its gold medal tradition, as Team USA aims to extend its international dominance with an eighth-straight gold medal. 42-year-old Phoenix Mercury legend Dianna Taurasi, who already has five golds in her trophy case, is looking to claim her sixth (and final?) gold medal. She is supported by WNBA stars with different levels of Olympic experience. 2023 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty and nine-time All-Star Brittney Griner of the Mercury are going for the third golds, while five members of Team USA hope to earn their first 5×5 gold medal.

Japan

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Roster: Asami Yoshida, Mai Yamamoto, Stephanie Mawuli, Evelyn Mawuli, Maki Takada, Saki Hayashi, Yuki Miyazawa, Saori Miyazaki, Rui Machida, Himawari Akaho, Nako Motohashi, Nanako Todo

At the 2020 Olympic Games, the host Japanese were the competition’s most pleasant surprise. Their sharp execution helped them overcome size challenges and advance to the gold medal game, where they fell short against the United States but won the national program’s first Olympic medal. Matching that silver achievement will be a tall task for head coach Toru Onzunka and Akatsuki Japan. Rui Machida, who played for the Washington Mystics in 2022, remains a sparkplug guard for the Japanese. She’ll be surrounded by high-quality shooters, while the Mawuli sisters—Stephanie and Evelyn—will provide the team with high-energy interior play.

Belgium

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Roster: Emma Meesseman, Anotnia Delaere, Julie Allemand, Julie Vanloo, Becky Massey, Maxuella Lisowa-Mbaka, Billie Massey, Laure Reismont, Elise Ramette, Bethy Mununga, Kyara Linskens, Ine Joris

Head coach Rachid Meziane and the Belgian Cats enter their second Olympic Games intent upon claiming their first medal. Forward Emma Meesseman, a 2019 WNBA champion with the Washington Mystics who starred in the WNBA for seven seasons (2013-17, 2019-20, 2022), remains the steady leader of the Belgian side. She’ll be buoyed by a pair of guards with WNBA experience in Julie Allemand, who has played for the Indiana Fever (2020) and Chicago Sky (2022), and Julie Vanloo, who has assumed starting point guard duties for the Mystics in her first season in the W. Forward Bethy Mununga, who played at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (2017-19) and South Florida (2019-22), will give the Cats a presence in the frontcourt.

Group C schedule

Monday, July 29

Germany vs. Belgium (7:30 a.m. ET)

United States vs. Japan (3 p.m. ET)

Thursday, August 1

Japan vs. Germany (5 a.m. ET)

Belgium vs. United States (3 p.m. ET)

Sunday, August 4

Japan vs. Belgium (5 a.m. ET)

Germany vs. United States (11:15 a.m. ET)

The women’s 5×5 basketball competition begins Sunday, July 28 and concludes Sunday, August 11 with the gold medal game. The field features 12 national teams, divided into three groups of four teams.

Group A: Serbia, Spain, China, Puerto Rico

Group B: Canada, Nigeria, Australia, France

Group C: Germany, United States, Japan, Belgium

Group play consists of a single round-robin tournament, with the first- and second-place teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The top two third-place teams also will advance to the quarters, where, after a draw, the competition becomes a single-elimination tournament, which will begin on Wednesday, August 7. Group games will be held at Pierre Malloy Stadium in Lille, France, while Accor Arena in Paris will host the quarterfinals, semifinals and medal games.

Here’s more on the four teams contending to advance out of Group B:

Canada

Roster: Natalie Achonwa, Kayla Alexander, Laeticia Amihere, Bridget Carleton, Shay Colley, Aaliyah Edwards, Yvonne Ejim, Nirra Fields, Sami Hill, Cassandre Prosper, Syla Swords

Making their eighth Olympic appearance and seeking their first medal is Canada, led by head coach Victor Lapeña. Four current WNBA players—Los Angeles Sparks guard Kia Nurse, Minnesota Lynx wing Bridget Carleton, Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards and Atlanta Dream forward Laeticia Amihere—will be at the forefront of the Canadians’ effort, along with former WNBA players Natalie Achonwa, a forward who played for the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx (2015-22), and Kayla Alexander, a center who spent time with the San Antonio Stars, Fever, Chicago Sky and Lynx (2013-20). A trio of collegians also are part of the Canadian team: Yvonne Ejim, the 2024 WCC Player of the Year who will return to Gonzaga for her fifth year; Cass Prosper, a rising junior forward at Notre Dame; and Syla Swords, who will be a freshman guard at Michigan.

Nigeria

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Roster: Amy Okonkwo, Ezinne Kalu, Promise Amukamara, Elizabeth Balogun, Tomi Taiwo, Ifunanya Okoro, Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpannah, Murjanatu Musa, Lauren Ebo, Blessing Ejiofor, Solape Amusan, Rita Igbokwe, Lucy Ibeh, Adebola Adeyeye, Christeen Iwuala

The D’Tigress and head coach Rena Wakama are headed to the country’s third Olympic Games (2004, 2020), looking to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time. Point guard Promise Amukamara, who played at Arizona State (2011-15) and was selected in the 2015 WNBA Draft, will captain Nigeria’s effort, along with several recent collegiate athletes in center Rita Ogbokwe (Pitt, Ole Miss; 2019-24), forward Elizabeth Balogun (Georgia Tech, Louisville, Duke; 2018-23), center Lauren Ebo (Penn State, Texas, Notre Dame; 2018-23), forward Solape Amusana (Illinois, Sacramento State; 2020-24), Adebola Adeyeye (Buffalo, Kentucky; 2018-23) and guard Tomi Taiwo (Iowa, TCU; 2018-23). Two current college athletes in rising junior forwards Lucy Ibeh (TCU) and Christeen Iwuala (UCLA) also are suiting up for the D’Tigress. Guard Ify Okoro will be counted on to provide leadership.

Australia

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Roster: Alanna Smith, Cayla George, Ezi Magbegor, Isobel Borlase, Jade Melbourne, Kristy Wallace, Lauren Jackson, Marianna Tolo, Rebecca Allen, Sami Whitcomb, Stephanie Talbot, Tess Madgen

The Australians’ Olympic jaunt will be highlighted by the return of Lauren Jackson, who will represent the Opals on the Olympic stage for a fifth time, but for the first time since the 2012 Games. In addition to Jackson, head coach Sandy Brondello has a squad with the depth of talent required to improve upon a disappointing eighth-place finish at the 2020 Games and win the country’s sixth medal (bronze, 1996; silver, 2000; silver, 2004, silver, 2008; bronze, 2012). The current WNBA players representing Australia are Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith, Seattle Storm center Ezi Magbegor, Washington Mystics guard Jade Melbourne, Indiana Fever guard Kristy Wallace, Phoenix Mercury wing Rebecca Allen, Storm guard Sami Whitcomb and Los Angeles Sparks forward Stephanie Talbot. Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces, also is heading to Paris with the Opals.

France

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Roster: Marine Fauthoux, Alexia Chery, Sarah Michel, Valériane Vukosavljević, Iliana Rupert, Janelle Salaün, Gabby Williams, Marième Badiane, Marine Johannès, Alix Duchet, Dominique Malonga, Romane Bernies

The host nation is participating in its fourth-straight and fifth-overall women’s basketball competition, seeking to secure a third medal (silver, 2012; bronze, 2020). Under head coach Jean-Aime Toupane, the duo of Gabby Williams and Marine Johannès will be expected to carry the hopes of the French faithful, as the pair opted not to suit up for the Seattle Storm or New York Liberty, their respective WNBA teams, during the 2024 season to prepare for an Olympic push. Iliana Rupert, who spent the 2023 season with the Atlanta Dream and was selected in the first round of the 2021 WNBA Draft, and Janelle Salaün, a rising star for EuroLeague Women runner-up Villeneuve d’Ascq, give the French the kind of promising young talent required to contend for a spot on the medal stand.

Group B schedule

Monday, July 29

Nigeria vs. Australia (5 a.m. ET)

Canada vs. France (11:15 a.m. ET)

Thursday, August 1

Australia vs. Canada (7:30 a.m. ET)

France vs. Nigeria (11:15 a.m. ET)

Sunday, August 4

Canada vs. Nigeria (7:30 a.m. ET)

Australia vs. France (3 p.m. ET)

In preparation for the upcoming 2024-25 EuroLeague Women season, FIBA has sorted the competing clubs into four regular-season groups. This highlights the first of several changes that will be made to the competition’s format this coming season, which FIBA promises will “raise the stakes” of its regular-season (or “group”) phase.

EuroLeague Women last had a four-group system for the entirety of the 2020-21 regular season. This time around, there will be two phases to group play. In the first phase, each club will play its group opponents twice (described by FIBA as “round-robin” fashion), after which the top three clubs from each group will advance to the second phase and be re-seeded into two new groups.

In the second phase of group play, competing clubs will once again play their group opponents in round-robin fashion. The winners of these second-phase groups will advance to the new EuroLeague Women Play-Ins, which will determine which clubs participate in the postseason; two clubs will make to the semifinals automatically, skipping the quarterfinals, while the remaining four will play for the right to make the semifinals. This takes what was previously known as the EuroLeague Women Final Four and creates a “Final Six” instead.

This may seem like a lot of work logistically, but if all goes according to plan, the tiered regular-season format will make things more exciting. In the previous group play format, it was obvious right away which clubs would end up competing for the EuroLeague Women championship; while that will likely still be the case, by introducing a second phase to group play, the pool of competition will be diversified earlier on in the season. Along those same lines, the first round of the postseason may also now be more competitive than in years past.

Clubs chosen for regular-season groups and qualifiers

There will be a total of 16 clubs competing in EuroLeague Women for 2024-25, and 13 have already been put into groups for the first phase of group play. These include defending champions Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding, runners-up Villeneuve-d’Ascq and other frequent participants such as Perfumerias Avenida, ZVVZ USK Praha and Çukurova Basket Mersin.

The remaining three spots will be decided in the EuroLeague Women qualifiers, which are set to be played on September 18 and September 25. Participants in these qualifiers include Casademont Zaragoza and Basket Landes, both of which played in EuroLeague Women last season. The three clubs that fail to advance out of the qualifiers will be placed in the EuroCup Women competition, which will also begin in the fall.

The women’s 5×5 basketball competition begins Sunday, July 28 and concludes Sunday, August 11 with the gold medal game. The field features 12 national teams, divided into three groups of four teams.

Group A: Serbia, Spain, China, Puerto Rico

Group B: Canada, Nigeria, Australia, France

Group C: Germany, United States, Japan, Belgium

Group play consists of a single round-robin tournament, with the first- and second-place teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The top two third-place teams also will advance to the quarters, where, after a draw, the competition becomes a single-elimination tournament, which will begin on Wednesday, August 7. Group games will be held at Pierre Malloy Stadium in Lille, France, while Accor Arena in Paris will host the quarterfinals, semifinals and medal games.

Here’s more on the four teams contending to advance out of Group A:

Serbia

Roster: Ivana Raca, Nevena Rosic, Saša Čado, Nevena Jovanović, Yvonne Anderson, Dragana Stanković, Jovana Nogić, Maša Janković, Aleksandra Katanic, Angela Dugalic, Tina Krajišnik-Jovanovic, Mina Djordjevic

Under head coach Marina Malijković, the White Eagles, fourth-place finishers at the 2020 Games, will seek the national program’s second Olympic medal (bronze, 2016) behind the leadership of point guard Yvonne Anderson, the Arkansas native and University of Texas (2008-12) star who has represented Serbia since 2021. The Serbian national team also features rising UCLA senior forward Angela Dugalic and Ivana Raca, who played forward at Wake Forest (2017-21) and was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2021 WNBA Draft.

Spain

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Roster: María Araújo, Queralt Casas, Maite Cazorla, María Conde, Laura Gil, Paula Ginzo, Megan Gustafson, Mariona Ortiz, Lenor Rodríguez, Leticia Romero, Alba Torrens, Andrea Vilaró

Head coach Miguel Méndez and the Spanish national team are aiming for a second Olympic medal (silver, 2016) at the 2024 Paris Games after a sixth-place finish at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Forward Alba Torrens, a 2009 WNBA Draft selection by the Connecticut Sun who has built an illustrious career overseas, leads the Spanish squad, supported by point guard Maite Cazorla, who played at Oregon (2015-2019) and for the Atlanta Dream (2019), and Las Vegas Aces’ forward Megan Gustafson, who made her national team debut for Spain at February’s FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Sopron, Hungary.

China

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Roster: Han Xu, Huang Sijing, Li Meng, Li Yuan, Li Yueru, Luo Xinyu, Sun Mengran, Wang Siyu, Wu Tongtong, Yang Liwei, Yang Shuyu, Zhang Ru

Following a fifth-place effort at the 2020 Olympics, head coach Zheng Wei and China hope to capture the national team’s first medal in more than three decades and third-overall Olympic triumph (silver, 1992; bronze, 1984). Han Xu stands tall as the star of the Chinese squad. The 6-foot-9 center who has played three seasons with the New York Liberty (2019, 2022-23) is joined by wing Li Meng, an All-Rookie selection for the Washington Mystics last season, and center Li Yueru, who, after seeing limited opportunity for the Chicago Sky in 2023, has enjoyed extended opportunity for the Los Angeles Sparks this season.

Puerto Rico

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Roster: Arella Guirantes, Mya Hollingshed, Pamela Rosado, Tayra Meléndez, Trinity San Antonio, Brianna Jones, India Pagán, Isalys Quiñones, Sofía Roma, Jacqueline Benítez, Ahlana Smith, Mariah Pérez, Allison Gibson

Earning an Olympic berth for the second-straight games, Puerto Rico will strive to establish itself as a player on the world stage under head coach Jerry Batista. Former Rutgers star guard Arella Guirantes, who spent time playing for the Los Angeles Sparks (2021) and Seattle Storm (2023) before emerging as an integral player for Beretta Familia Schio, and forward Mya Hollingshed, a Colorado standout (2017-22) and the No. 8 overall pick by the Las Vegas Aces in the 2022 WNBA Draft, will carry the load for the Puerto Ricans, while guard Trinity San Antonio, a rising senior at Grand Canyon University, will look to find a role on the squad.

Group A schedule

Sunday, July 28

Spain vs. China (7:30 a.m. ET)

Serbia vs. Puerto Rico (3 p.m. ET)

Wednesday, July 31

Puerto Rico vs. Spain (5 a.m. ET)

China vs. Serbia (7:30 a.m. ET)

Saturday, August 3

China vs. Puerto Rico (5 a.m. ET)

Serbia vs. Spain (7:30 a.m. ET)