FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup preview

The GIST: Post–WNBA Finals blues hitting hard? Have no fear because the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup tips off today from Sydney, Australia, with one coveted spot in the Paris 2024 Olympics on the line. Crikey!

How it works: Twelve nations, 10 days, 38 games. The teams are split into two groups of six, where they’ll each play five round robin games. From there, the top four in each group advance to the quarter-finals, followed by the semis on September 30th and culminating with the championship game on October 1st. Mark your cal.

🇨🇦 Team Canada: While our southern neighbors are the perennial favorites, don’t count out world No. 4 Canada just yet. Veteran Natalie Achonwa and WNBA beast Bridget Carleton will be key, but it’s Kia Nurse’s return from an ACL tear that has us giddy.

• Reminder: Canada didn’t make it out of the group stage at last summer’s Olympics, so this team is coming in with a new look and a whole lot to prove.

The other top contenders: Of course, there’s A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and the rest of No. 1 Team USA to worry about. But keep your eyes on the home team, Australia, currently ranked No. 3 in the world behind No. 2 Spain. And certainly don’t count out Bosnia and Herzegovina — their national team boasts one serious powerhouse in 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones.

What to watch: The red and white begin their quest against Serbia tonight at 11 p.m. ET. Game on.