FIBA U17 Women's World Cup 2026: Côte d'Ivoire Finishes 16th in Historic Debut

The 2026 FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup came to an end on Sunday in Czech Republic. In their final classification game (playing for 15th and 16th place), the Young Elephants fell to Mexico, 88-72, wrapping up a historic first appearance on the world stage.

A day earlier, Côte d'Ivoire had suffered an 80-47 defeat against Germany in the 13th-16th place classification round. Despite the challenging results, the reigning 2025 FIBA U16 Women's AfroBasket vice champions showed resilience throughout the tournament while gaining valuable experience against some of the world's top youth programs.

The Ivorians ultimately finished 16th overall, but the tournament represented far more than their final ranking. Competing at a FIBA World Cup for the first time marks a significant milestone in the growth of women's basketball in Côte d'Ivoire and provides a strong foundation for the country's next generation of talent.

The curtain closed on the 8th edition of the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup, with the United States defeating Spain to capture the world title. For Côte d'Ivoire, the experience serves as the beginning of a promising journey, with a talented young generation expected to build on the lessons learned on basketball's biggest youth stage.