Japan and France are unveiled as the hosts for the 2030 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup and the 2031 FIBA Basketball World Cup, respectively, on April 22, 2026, during a FIBA Central Board meeting in Berlin. (©FIBA)
The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup will be held in Japan for the first time in 2030.
Tokyo was selected as the host for the 2030 FIBA Women's World Cup at a FIBA Central Board meeting on Wednesday, April 22.
On the same day, FIBA, basketball's world governing body, announced that France will host the 2031 Basketball World Cup. The men's tournament will be held in three French cities: Lille, Lyon and Paris.
"The FIBA World Cups have become synonymous with success in large part because selecting the appropriate host each time is the cornerstone of our mission to make basketball the most popular sports community," FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis said.
Zagklis said Japan and France have earned respect from the global basketball community.
"The FIBA Central Board decided that the bids by both the Japanese Basketball Association (JBA) and the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) meet the high requirements we have from a FIBA World Cup host, and has entrusted them with this big responsibility," Zagklis commented.
A Look Ahead to 2030 and 2031
The 2030 Women's World Cup is set for November 26 to December 8 in the Japanese capital.
In 2031, the Basketball World Cup is penciled in for August 29 to September 14 in France.
"Japan and France are two basketball-loving nations, two destinations extremely popular with our fans, players and partners," Zagklis said. "But what makes us more excited for both 2030 and 2031 is that really rare quality that Japan and France possess, of adding their local, unique touch of excellence and flavor to make the events truly unforgettable in time."
Basketball Notes
The 2026 FIBA Basketball Women's World Cup, a 16-nation event, will be held in Berlin from September 4 to 13.
In Germany, the Japan women's national team is in Group A along with Spain, Germany and Mali. Coach Corey Gaines' squad opens the group phase of the tourney against Mali on September 4.
Japan, which held games in Okinawa City, was one of three nations that hosted the men's World Cup in 2023. The Philippines and Indonesia also staged games.
Before a name change (the FIBA Basketball World Cup) in 2014, Japan also hosted the global competition in 2006, when it was known as the FIBA World Championship.
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Author: Ed Odeven
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