USA Maintains Dominance in FIBA World Ranking Girls; Canada and Slovenia Make Significant Strides

MIES, Switzerland – The latest edition of the FIBA World Ranking Girls, presented by Nike, has reaffirmed the USA’s dominance in youth women’s basketball. The USA team sits comfortably at the top with 830.2 points, following their impeccable 7-0 run at the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2023 in Madrid. The tournament, which saw the USA retaining their title against hosts Spain, was notably played on an innovative ASB glass floor court and witnessed a record-breaking crowd of 7,000.

France remains in the second spot with 726.2 points, thanks to their strong performances in various international tournaments, including reaching the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup and winning the FIBA U16 Women’s European Championship 2023.

Canada has made a notable leap to the third position, accumulating 721.1 points. This significant advancement is attributed to their third-place finish at the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup and their run to the finals at the FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship 2023 in Mexico.

Spain and Australia follow in the fourth and fifth positions, respectively. However, the spotlight is on Slovenia, who have surged four places to sixth, amassing 685.6 points. This rise is primarily due to their remarkable victory at the FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship 2023.

Japan, Finland, and Croatia have also made impressive progress. Japan, now in ninth place, improved their ranking with a top-six finish at the FIBA U19 World Cup and a runner-up position in the FIBA U16 Women’s Asian Championship. Finland, climbing to the tenth spot, benefited from their semi-final appearance in the FIBA U16 Women’s European Championship. Croatia, now in the eleventh place, saw a seven-spot jump after securing the fifth place in the same tournament.

Mali’s eight-place rise to the twelfth position is another highlight, following their fifth-place finish at the FIBA U19 World Cup and an eighth consecutive title at the FIBA U16 Women’s African Championship.

Serbia has made the most dramatic climb within the top 40 nations, soaring 20 places to reach the sixteenth spot. This surge is attributed to their performances in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship and the Quarter-Finals of the FIBA U16 Women’s European Championship.

This latest FIBA ranking update also included adjustments in the Competition and Region weights for Girls, aligning them with the updated Women’s weights in 2023.

Here is the FIBA World Ranking for Girls as of December 2023: