FIBA Women's World Cup Starts Without Canada: Setback or New Start for LA28?

On Monday, the WNBA will pause for two and a half weeks so its players can join the World Cup, which does not include Canada.

It was a cruel twist of fate.

Just three days after the WNBA and its players signed a new collective bargaining agreement that would make Canada’s first WNBA team official, the national team received a big disappointment.

Canada was knocked out of World Cup qualification, and it was done by Australian coach Sandy Brondello’s Toronto Tempo team.

"I felt like they were going to kick me out," Brondello said, noting the awkward feeling of having two conflicting roles.

"It was a hard‑fought game. I feel sorry for Canada. They are a strong team with great young players, and they will stay strong for years. Sometimes a team needs a reset to rise again. We did that after Tokyo," she added.

"Canada will be fine. They have the Swords sisters and many good college players. With those pieces, they will be in a good position," Brondello said.

On Monday, the WNBA will pause for two‑and‑a‑half weeks so its players can compete in the World Cup that starts in Berlin on Sept. 4. Canada, after losing 82‑76 to an already‑qualified Australian side in March, will miss the event despite finishing fourth in the 2022 tournament.

Good news came on Sunday when Canada beat Mexico 83‑53, completing a 5‑0 pre‑qualifying tournament in Guadalajara and earning a spot in a 2028 Olympic qualifier set for February.

Syla Swords, the 20‑year‑old mentioned by Brondello as a bright young star alongside her sister Savvy, was named tournament MVP after averaging 14.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and one steal per game.

This gives Canada a low‑pressure 17‑month window to build chemistry, lay foundations and let the next‑generation players like Swords continue to grow as basketball athletes.

The team that beat Mexico mixed six veterans (such as Kayla Alexander and Sami Hill) with six younger players, including NCAA stars Syla Swords (Michigan), Agot Makeer (South Carolina), Delaney Gibb (BYU) and others. Coach Nell Fortner called the blend perfect and praised the younger group.

"They are built a little differently. I don’t know if that makes sense, but their commitment to basketball and to Canada is very strong," Fortner said.

Swords, in particular, kept showing she could become Canada’s next basketball star.

"She played fearless. I saw an extraordinary shooter – quick release, accurate and consistent. She already carries herself like a pro, and it was fun to coach her," Fortner said.

Even so, giving Swords and her teammates the World Cup stage would have been ideal. Canada, now seventh in FIBA rankings and with its WNBA players, lost three of five games in the March tournament against a pool with only one higher‑ranked team.

"Do I wish we were at the World Cup? Absolutely," Fortner said. "But we did the next best thing. Everyone – players and staff – gave their all, and that is encouraging for the future."

The six young NCAA players also included Avery Howell (Washington), Cearah Parchment (Illinois) and Jasmine Bascoe (Villanova). Michigan’s Mila Holloway missed the tournament because of injury, and Duke star Toby Fournier was not with the team during the summer, though Fortner said they would have loved to have her.

It is hard to remember a time when so many Canadian players competed at the NCAA level, reflecting the sport’s rapid growth this decade.

Fortner, 67, from Jackson, Miss., saw a similar rise in her home state when she coached the Indiana Fever during its 1999 expansion.

"All of a sudden you see little girls dreaming of becoming professional basketball players. It’s amazing. The number of young women playing basketball in Canada will explode soon, and that excites me," Fortner said.

In a media interview before the Tempo’s season opener, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert talked about how the Tempo could help the national program.

"Especially at the grassroots level. Young girls from any part of Canada can come to Toronto – and we also play games in Montreal and Vancouver – and see professional players. That will inspire many girls to pick up a basketball, especially if they see someone who looks like them and plays like them," Engelbert said.

Canada now has 17 months to get ready for its single chance to compete at the Los Angeles Olympics.

Fortner hopes to bring the team, including its WNBA players, together for a training camp next February. The biggest tournament before the Olympic qualifier will be the FIBA AmeriCup in July in El Salvador.

"They are not learning something new each camp. We are just building and improving what we do on offense and defense," Fortner said.

After Australia’s “reset” following an eighth‑place finish at Tokyo 2020, Brondello’s team beat Canada for bronze at the 2022 World Cup and then took third place at the 2024 Olympics.

Success may come slower for Canada, but the foundations are set to turn this World Cup setback into future progress.

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