South Korea's women's basketball team failed to reach the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup, unable to overcome Germany's size advantage.
South Korea, ranked 15th by FIBA and coached by Park Su-ho, lost 56-94 to No. 11 Germany in a qualification playoff for the quarterfinals held in Berlin on the 9th, Korean time. South Korea had reached the World Cup finals for a 17th consecutive time after clearing the final qualifying round in March, but the tournament ended with the loss. The team last reached the World Cup quarterfinals in 2010.
The tournament split 16 nations into four groups for a preliminary round, with each group winner advancing directly to the quarterfinals. Second- and third-place teams played qualification playoffs, with the winners moving on. South Korea routed Nigeria in its opening group game but then lost to France and Hungary in succession, finishing third in Group B and entering the playoff round.
South Korea never solved the height disadvantage against Germany. The German roster included seven players standing 190 centimeters or taller and averaged 187 centimeters at this tournament. South Korea, by contrast, had no player at 190 centimeters or above after Park Ji-su of KB was unable to take part. The Korean roster averaged 177 centimeters. The shortage under the basket grew more pronounced when starting center Jin Ann of Hana Bank sat out the game because of her physical condition. South Korea managed just 30 rebounds, far behind Germany's 46.
South Korea stayed level at 11-11 into the middle of the first quarter before conceding eight straight points and surrendering control. The gap widened to 29-46 after the second quarter. Late in the third quarter, South Korea trailed by 30 points at 38-68, effectively settling the outcome. After key players were pulled with about three minutes left in the fourth quarter, the team gave up nine consecutive points to close the game. Lee Hae-ran of Samsung Life Insurance led the team with 21 points, and marquee shooter Kang Yi-seul of Woori Bank added 17 points, including three 3-pointers.
"We expected a difficult game, and both the players and I prepared a great deal, but with our lack of height and our big-man resources sidelined by injury, neither our defense nor our offense worked," Park said at a post-game news conference. "The players learned a lot, and it was a valuable lesson for me as well. When we face teams as tall as Germany, we will need to study different approaches," he added. "Since we are short, we will keep our style, but we need to raise our shooting percentage and shore up our defense."
With the World Cup behind them, the Koreans now turn to preparations for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Drawn into Group C alongside Taiwan, Malaysia and Mongolia, South Korea opens against Malaysia on the 18th.
