The rankings, released on Thursday, August 29, in Switzerland, also confirm Nigeria’s continued dominance as the top team in Africa.
Nigeria’s historic performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics saw them achieve a series of firsts, including their debut victory in the Group Phase, securing two wins, and becoming the first African nation (men or women) to reach the quarterfinals at the Olympics.
Their journey began with a stunning victory over Australia on the opening day in Lille. Although Australia rebounded to claim the bronze medal, they also celebrated moving up to second place in the rankings.
France and Germany were other notable climbers in the rankings. France jumped four places to secure third place after an electrifying run to the final, where they narrowly lost to the USA, earning a silver medal to match their best-ever Olympic result.
Germany, making their Olympic debut, advanced to the quarterfinals after securing two Group Phase wins, leading to an impressive eight-place rise to 13th in the rankings.
Serbia, another Quarter-Finals participant at Paris 2024, improved their ranking from 10th to 9th place.
The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournaments in Mexico and Rwanda also influenced the rankings, with Czechia moving up two places to 21st after winning in Mexico City and Hungary climbing to 15th after their victory in Kigali.
Rwanda, the host nation of one of the Pre-Qualifying Tournaments, made the most significant leap in the Top 100, soaring 12 places to 62nd.
Meanwhile, Korea, who reached the final in Mexico, gained nearly four points, though they did not advance in the rankings due to Germany’s concurrent rise.
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