Everything you need to know before the 2023 FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament

MEDELLIN (Colombia) – 2023 FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament will take place at the Iván de Bedout Coliseum in the city of Medellín, Colombia, between November 9-12, 2023.

Who’s participating and how did they qualify?

The national teams of Canada, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Venezuela earned their berths after finishing 3rd to 6th, respectively, at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2023.

What’s the format?

The four teams will play in a single group and will have the opportunity to match up against each other, round robin style.

What’s at stake?

Those teams who finish in first and second place will clinch their spots in FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024.

From the Americas, the teams of the United States, current Olympic and world champion, and Brazil, champion of the FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2023, already have secured a spot in the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024.

Schedule of play (all times local to Medellin)

Matchday 1: November 9
Canada vs. Venezuela – 17:30
Puerto Rico vs. Colombia – 20:00

Matchday 2: November 10
Colombia vs. Canada – 17:30
Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico – 20:00

Matchday 3: November 12
Canada vs. Puerto Rico – 16:00
Colombia vs. Venezuela – 18:30

Who won it last time?

The 2019 edition featured 2 groups 4 teams each, with one being hosted by Argentina and the other one by Canada.

The first 2 countries out of each group advanced to the 2020 Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. Those teams were United States (even they already had secured their Olympic berth after winning the 2018 FIBA World Cup in Spain), Brazil (second place in Group B) and Canada and Puerto Rico, who finished first and second in Group A.

Who are the favorites this time around?

By virtue of winning bronze at the 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, Canada comes into the tournament as the favorite.

The North Americans fell 67-63 to eventual silver medalists USA and then defeated Puerto Rico, 80-73, to clinch the third spot. All in all, Canada finished the event with a 6-1 record.

Puerto Rico had a 3-1 record in the group stage and then narrowly got past Venezuela in the quarterfinals before losing by 11 to eventual champions, Brazil.

Who are the top stars?

At the time of this publication, only Canada has announced their final team (you can see it in our Roster Tracker), but among the eligible players here are some we’re excited to see:

Daniela Wallen (Venezuela)
Wallen was the leading scorer at 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup after averaging 21.0 points per game after shooting 51.3 percent from the field. She also finished 7th in rebounds (7.4) and added 3.2 assists per game.

The 28-year-old small forward also led the event with 3.6 steals per game.

Bridget Carleton (Canada)
Canada comes stacked with players who have served as important pieces for the North American team in recent tournaments. However Carleton has stood out.

The Minnesota Lynx (WNBA) forward also played in the FIBA ​​Women's World Cup 2022 in Australia and contributed greatly to her national team with 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Arella Guirantes (Puerto Rico)
Guirantes was nothing short of stellar at AmeriCup. She scored the most points (143) and finished second with 20.4 per game (only behind Wallen). She added 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals for an efficiency of 21.4 (second best in the tournament).

The shooting guard dropped 27 against Canada in the bronze medal game after scoring 29 against Venezuela in the quarterfinals, proving she can be successful against a pair of defenses she’s going to face again in Medellin.

Jenifer Muñoz (Colombia)
Muñoz is expected to be the host country’s ace of spades.

She averaged 14 points and 5.8 rebounds at AmeriCup, where Colombia finished with a 2-3 record after defeating Mexico and Dominican Republic and narrowly losing to Puerto Rico.

Where can I buy tickets?

The event is open to the public.

Where can I follow the event?

You can watch all the action in the official FIBA YouTube channel and follow our social media channels on Instagram and Twitter: @americupw

FIBA