Women's Basketball World Cup: Can Germany harness a boom?
Germany thrilled fans at the Women's Basketball World Cup. But even if this sparked a boom in the women's game, the infrastructure simply isn't ready for it.
The Women's Basketball World Cup concluded in Berlin on September 13, 2025. Germany's national team, featuring standout players Leonie Fiebich and Nyara, demonstrated consistent improvement throughout the 10-day tournament. Their best performance came in the quarterfinals, where they defeated European champions Belgium, marking arguably their best-ever game.
However, the final weekend highlighted the team's ongoing struggles in competing against the world's elite for a full 40-minute match. Germany fell to France in the semifinals and to Spain in the match for third place. Fiebich acknowledged, "We simply aren't good enough yet," emphasizing that while they overperformed, the challenge lies in maintaining that level of performance.
Despite the disappointment, the team viewed the tournament as a significant success. It marked the climax of positive developments in German women's basketball in recent years. In 2024, the team qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time, winning a surprising gold in the 3x3 basketball event. At the 2025 EuroBasket, Germany's women finished fifth.
Head coach Olaf Lange emphasized the need to harness the players' pain as fuel for improvement. "In our day-to-day work over the coming months and years, we need to improve individually," he said. The support from German fans was overwhelming, with around 230,000 tickets sold for the World Cup. Most spectators were Germans, even though visiting fans were present.
While the national team is nearing elite status, the top German women's basketball league (DBBL) lags far behind international competition. Most World Cup players play abroad, with Fiebich, Nyara, Sabally, Geiselsöder, and Bühner representing their teams in leagues like the WNBA and international clubs in Spain and Australia. Only three German players—Alexandra Wilke, Emma Eichmeyer, and Britta Daub—play in the DBBL, with most earning their living outside of basketball.
Head coach Lange lamented that the league has declined since he coached from 1995 to 2002, describing it as "semi-professional" and noting the backwardness compared to his time. He acknowledged the need for changes to sustain success, stating, "I have to ensure that our top players go abroad."
In March, Ireti Amojo became the new DBBL president, aiming to professionalize conditions at DBBL clubs. She plans to hire full-time youth development coaches and increase arena capacities, addressing the lack of facilities that limits court time. However, top German basketball leagues are not enough to support the growth of young talent.
Amojo recognizes the need for immediate action, stating, "We lack the structures to harness this interest and provide all the children fascinated by basketball with the opportunity, under perfect training conditions, to develop into the next Leonie Fiebich or Nyara Sabally." Despite these challenges, Amojo believes the World Cup proved the growing interest in women's basketball in Germany, signaling a potential spark for future development.
Written by urgent.news from DW News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
