Tall Ferns defeated in World Cup qualifying tournament
Ella Tofaeono in action for New Zealand – Photo courtesy of FIBA.
The New Zealand women’s national basketball team (Tall Ferns) suffered a disappointing result at the pre-qualifying tournament for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, which was held from August 22 to 24 at the Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Berrera indoor arena in Mexico.
The Tall Ferns lost 88-64 to Montenegro and then 71-64 to Mexico, ending their hopes of qualification before they could even play their third and final game against Mozambique.
However, a subsequent 79-63 victory over Mozambique restored the Kiwis’ pride.
Former Penrith Basketball Association representative Ella Tofaeono made her debut for the Tall Ferns at the tournament. She played limited minutes, averaging 9 minutes per game, 10 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.
Czech Republic defeated Mexico 82-72 and Korea defeated Montenegro 88-66 in the semifinals. Czech Republic then defeated Korea 73-67 to win the tournament and advance to the qualifying round.
The full list of teams participating in the pre-qualifying tournament is: Czech Republic, Korea, Mali, Mexico, Montenegro, Mozambique, New Zealand and Venezuela.
The pre-qualifying tournaments for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup were held from August 19 to 25, 2024, in Mexico City, Mexico and Kigali, Rwanda.
The winner of each tournament qualified for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifying tournaments.