Bright Starlets bow out of World Cup qualifiers without a win

2026-03-18 - 08:45

South Sudan’s women’s national basketball team, the Bright Starlets, have exited the FIBA World Cup qualifiers without a win. The team lost all five matches in the tournament, marking a difficult campaign at the global level. The outcome is a setback following their strong performance in Africa, where they finished third and won a historic bronze medal. It was their first-ever podium finish in a major continental competition. At the qualifiers, the Bright Starlets began with a heavy 52–89 defeat to the Czech Republic. They then lost 79–94 to Brazil. The team failed to regain form in the remaining matches. They suffered a 76 – 86 defeat to China and a 64 – 102 loss to Belgium . They also lost to Mali with a 75 – 97 defeat. Across the five matches played, South Sudan failed to register a win. Despite the results, their participation in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers is seen as an important step in their development. The experience gained against top international teams is expected to help the squad improve as they build on their recent continental success.