Czech Women’s Basketball: Photos & Results from the China Match | Road to World Championship Qualification

WUHAN, China – The Czech Republic women’s national basketball team faces a challenging path to qualifying for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup after falling to China 84-74 on Saturday in Wuhan. Despite a dominant performance from forward Emma Čechová, who scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, the Czechs couldn’t overcome a strong Chinese side on their home court.

The loss leaves the Czech Republic’s World Cup hopes hanging in the balance, dependent on results from other Group A matches. Belgium has already secured their spot in the tournament, which will be held in Berlin this September, and China also clinched qualification with the win. Mali and Brazil remain in contention alongside the Czechs.

Čechová expressed disappointment after the game, acknowledging the team’s fatigue played a role in the final stretch. “It’s a shame we couldn’t win today because that would have guaranteed our qualification,” she said, according to the Czech Basketball Federation. “Now we have to wait and notice how Brazil plays and how the other teams do. We need to hope that Brazil doesn’t beat China and that You can advance.”

The Czech Republic’s potential path to Berlin now hinges on a combination of outcomes in upcoming games. They can still qualify if South Sudan upsets Mali, if the Czechs defeat a favored Belgian team, or if China defeats Brazil.

The game itself was a hard-fought contest, with the Czech Republic falling behind by as many as 14 points. They mounted a late comeback, narrowing the gap to just two points with under three minutes remaining, but ultimately couldn’t complete the turnaround. Čechová attributed the late-game struggles to exhaustion. “Unfortunately, we were a bit tired at the complete. We didn’t have enough in rotation, and I think that affected the final minutes. When you’re tired, you craft mistakes you wouldn’t normally make,” she explained.

The Czech team was also hampered by injuries and fatigue late in the game. Julia Reisingerová played through discomfort after a hard foul in a previous game, seeing limited action. Eliška Hamzová was also battling illness and fatigue, limiting her effectiveness in the fourth quarter.

Čechová faced a tough challenge inside against China’s towering frontcourt, battling against 7’3” (220cm) Zhang Ziyu, as well as Han Xu (6’8”/205cm) and Luo Xinrui (6’6”/201cm). “It wasn’t simple against them, but I tried to push them out of the paint as much as possible,” Čechová said. “It was a very demanding game. They have a lot of strength inside and on the perimeter, and their quick transition offense took a lot of energy out of us.”

Despite the setback, the Czech Republic remains optimistic. Petra Holešínská, a key player for the Czechs, acknowledged the team’s fatigue but remained hopeful. “We were a little tired at the end, it was our fourth tough game in five days. But we can’t use that as an excuse, all the teams are in the same situation. I hope we can still qualify for the World Cup. We’ll definitely try to fight for it ourselves, even though Belgium is a world-class team.”

The Czech Republic will now await the results of other games and prepare for their next challenge. The team’s fate rests on a combination of their own performance and the outcomes of matches involving Brazil, China, and South Sudan. The stakes are high as they aim to secure a coveted spot in the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin.

What’s Next: The Czech Republic will learn their World Cup fate based on the results of Brazil vs. China and South Sudan vs. Mali. Further updates will be available on the official FIBA website: https://www.fiba.basketball/

What do you think? Can the Czech Republic still make it to the World Cup? Share your thoughts in the comments below!