Germany produce a gala performance against Mali – and reach the World Cup final round

In the showdown against Mali, the German women’s basketball team held their nerve at the home World Cup and earned themselves the best possible starting position for a place in the final round.

Olaf Lange’s side won 83-58 (49-32) in Berlin after a strong display in their final group match, sealing second place in Group A behind favourites Spain. They will now face South Korea, who finished third in Group B, in Tuesday’s qualifying round for the quarter-finals.

Before the group finale, all four teams were level on three points after two games, with one win and one defeat each. Germany could still have climbed to first place, but they could also have finished fourth. Spain’s 79-59 win over Japan in the evening’s other game ended any chance of topping the group, but it also ruled out elimination in fourth.

After the heavy opening defeat to the Spanish women (53-83) and the response against Japan (74-58), the target was to finish as high up the table as possible. That meant they had to win for a second time in the tournament. “We have to be the aggressor from the start,” Frieda Bühner, top scorer against Japan, told MagentaTV. Captain Marie Gülich agreed, with Mali set to play in a “very physical, very athletic” way.

With world champion captain Dennis Schröder watching courtside as a star fan, Germany started well. Their defence kept Mali, led by Sika Kone of WNBA team Atlanta Dream, under control, Leonie Fiebich hit an early three-pointer, and the hosts moved 15-7 ahead in the sixth minute. Then came a sloppy spell and too many mistakes. Alexis Peterson, back after missing the second half against Japan because of an infection, gave the ball away twice in quick succession.

Luisa Geiselsöder, who had not really found her feet in the tournament until now, produced her best display and was perfect in the first half. Bühner also shone, and her second straight three-pointer gave Germany their first double-digit lead at 40-29 in the 16th minute. Almost everything was clicking by then. Alexandra Wilke and Gülich also scored from outside, before top scorer Bühner struck again to finish with 21 points. The lead was already commanding by half-time. “You want to get better in every game, and that’s what they’re doing,” Schröder said during the break, praising the “great atmosphere” in the sold-out arena (12,550 spectators).

Against Mali for the second time since an international match in Saarlouis in 2007, Germany did not let up after the interval either. The African side, who had sensationally beaten Spain on the second matchday (82-73), had no answer to the energy of Lange’s team. Geiselsöder delivered an early decisive blow with another three-pointer to make it 56-37 in the 25th minute. Mali are out, with Japan (both on 4 points) going through on the head-to-head record.

Should the DBB team beat South Korea in the play-off round, they will face Belgium in the quarter-finals. The European champions of 2023 and 2025 won Group C without defeat.