Women's Basketball World Cup | China Must Battle Italy in Final Group Match, Aiming for Second Place

Qilu Evening News·Qilu Yidian, Feng Zihan

For the women's basketball team to win, Han Xu will still need to play an important role. Photo by Xinhua News Agency.

At 2:45 a.m. Beijing time on September 8, China women's basketball team will face strong opponent Italy in the final round of the 2026 Women's Basketball World Cup Group D stage. This match is a key battle for second place in the group, and the result will directly determine their opponent in the quarterfinal qualification playoffs, making it crucial to China's World Cup advancement path. Therefore, the team must fight for victory and take the initiative in qualification.

The Group D qualification situation is becoming clearer. The United States women's basketball team has won both of its matches and secured first place, advancing directly to the quarterfinals; the Czech women's team has suffered two consecutive defeats and has exited the qualification race. China and Italy both have records of one win and one loss, remaining closely matched in the standings. The winner of this match will secure second place in the group, while the loser will finish third. According to tournament rules, the group winner advances directly to the quarterfinals, while the second- and third-place teams must compete in the playoffs for the remaining quarterfinal spots. Different rankings will lead to very different qualification paths.

If China defeats Italy, it will enter the playoffs as the group runner-up and face the winner between Puerto Rico and Turkey from Group C. The opponent's overall strength is relatively limited, significantly increasing China's chances of reaching the quarterfinals. If China loses and drops to third place, it will face the loser between Australia and Belgium from Group C. Both traditional strong teams have deep foundations, and the path to further advancement will become much more difficult. It can be said that the result against Italy will largely determine the difficulty of China's pursuit of a quarterfinal berth.

Italy women's basketball team is far from a weak opponent and has strong competitiveness. In the previous group stage, they lost to powerhouse United States by only three points, showing excellent resilience in offense and defense as well as strong tactical execution. Their overall physicality, outside shooting and team coordination all pose significant threats. China lost both previous encounters with Italy during its overseas training period. However, those two meetings also helped the team better understand Italy's playing style, offensive and defensive rhythm, and tactical weaknesses, providing valuable practical experience for this matchup.

This match features many highlights, with player adjustments and form becoming key factors for victory. Rising star Zhang Ziyu struggled in the previous game against the Czech Republic, scoring only 3 points. As the tallest player on the team, whether she can quickly adjust, regain her offensive and defensive rhythm, and provide an interior defensive presence is a major question for this game. Meanwhile, the performances of the two core players Han Xu and Yang Shuyu will influence the direction of the match. They have consistently delivered strong performances, and whether in interior play or outside scoring, they are key to the team's ability to overcome opponents. For China to overcome Italy, Han Xu and Yang Shuyu will need to deliver outstanding performances.

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