FIBA U17 Women's World Cup 2026: Côte d’Ivoire Continues Its Learning Journey on the World Stage

Côte d’Ivoire's U17 Women's National Team is making history at the 2026 FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup in Brno, Czechia, as the nation competes in the tournament for the very first time. Facing some of the world's strongest youth programs, the Young Elephants are using the event as a valuable learning experience and another milestone in the growth of Ivorian women's basketball.

Drawn into a challenging Group A, the African vice champions opened their campaign against defending champions Team USA. Although they suffered a 117-24 defeat, Fatima Diouf made history by scoring 11 of Côte d'Ivoire's 24 points. The Ivorians then fell to Latvia (69-44), with Jane M. Diomandé leading the team with 16 points and 7 rebounds, before closing the group stage with an 89-37 loss to Australia.

After finishing fourth in the group, Côte d'Ivoire faced Spain in the Round of 16. The experienced European side controlled the contest to advance to the quarterfinals, ending the Ivorians' hopes of competing for the title.

Attention now turns to the 9th-16th classification games, where Côte d'Ivoire will take on Colombia on July 17 in search of its first-ever victory at a FIBA U17 Women's World Cup. While the results have been challenging, the tournament represents a historic milestone and an invaluable opportunity for a young generation expected to shape the future of Ivorian women's basketball.