28 Jul
    11 Aug 2024

    Qualified Team Focus - USA: Will the champions capture title number 10?

    5 min to read
    Preview
    USA

    Is the incredible USA gold rush continuing in Paris?

    MIES (Switzerland) - The Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024 lineup is now known and with the game schedule also confirmed, we're checking out the 12 nations bidding for glory at Paris 2024.

    Now it's time for the eigning champions USA as the number one team in the FIBA World Ranking Women, presented by Nike.

    How they qualified

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    USA punched their ticket for the event when they were crowned winners of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 in Sydney. That booked them an automatic spot along with Olympic host nation France.

    However, USA still competed at the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Antwerp, going an unbeaten 3-0 but needing a dramatic 81-79 buzzer-beating win against the Belgian Cats in front of more than 13,000 home fans.

    Record at the Olympics

    Appearances: 12 - 1976 (2nd); 1984 (1st); 1988 (1st); 1992 (3rd); 1996 (1st); 2000 (1st); 2004 (1st); 2008 (1st); 2012 (1st), 2016 (1st); 2020 (1st); 2024 Medals: 11 -🥇(1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020)🥈(1976) 🥉(1992)

    Last appearance

    USA landed their 9th OIympic title and seventh in a row at Tokyo 2020 as they beat local favorites Japan 90-75, with Brittney Griner dropping a spectacular 30 points. It was also the last game the legendary Sue Bird played in a USA vest.

    The Group phase

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    USA were drawn in Pool C which is the obligatory 'Group of Death' as it includes Tokyo 2020 Finalists Japan, ambitious Euro champs Belgium and Olympics debutantes Germany. It means USA will not only open up with a repeat of that last Olympics Final, but also re-engage with Belgium just a few months after that incredible thriller in Antwerp. USA Group Phase games

    vs Japan (July 29) vs Belgium (August 1) vs Germany (August 4)

    Players to watch

    Brittney Griner will play for the first time since Tokyo 2020

    USA are simply stuffed with stardust and have so many of the planet's leading ballers that every single member of their roster for Paris is already an Olympic or FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup winner.

    Breanna Stewart, A'Ja Wilson, Brittney Griner, Napheesa Collier and of course Diana Taurasi should take most of the spotlight in Paris.

    Qualified Team Focus series

    You can check out all teams ready to step out at Paris 2024 as part of our Qualified Team Focus series. You can already take a look at China, Australia, Japan, Spain, Canada, Belgium, France, Serbia, Germany, Puerto Rico and Nigeria.

    FIBA

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