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.