German team at the Basketball World Cup: “We are playing better than we are”

The German players couldn't rest for long. After the clear win against Mali (83:58) on Monday, the knockout game against South Korea followed on Tuesday and the decision was made as to who would advance to the quarter-finals - and who would be eliminated from the tournament.

They probably didn't think that it would turn out so clearly. At the end, the scoreboard in Berlin's Uber Arena reads 94:56 for the German team. For the first time in the history of women's basketball, Germany is in a World Cup quarter-final and can count itself among the top 8 in the world - apart from the little-known fact that the GDR team came fourth in the 1967 World Cup.

You can really feel in the hall how the pressure falls off the players after the final whistle. You would almost think they had already won the World Cup, the way they were cheered by the almost 50 “Ultras” in the fan curve. Even the press conference is postponed because the team is still celebrating.

It is a deserved victory for the team, which initially started the tournament with a significant defeat against Spain. But now it's back, the players are bursting with self-confidence, even though the day started with a fire alarm in the hotel, the second one during the tournament.

But there is no longer any sign of tiredness or nervousness on the dance floor late in the evening. The German team started strong, took the lead straight away and didn't relinquish it until the end. It is above all the tough, consistent defense, which coach Olaf Lange later praises, that hardly allows the smaller and faster Koreans to reach the basket. Their tactic of trying threes and shots from outside instead also fails. The baskets soon seem to only fall for the Germans. In the end, “Player of the Game” is Marie Gülich, who scores a total of 19 points. But it could just as easily have been Leonie Fiebich with her 11 rebounds. And then there are Frieda Bühner, Luisa Geiselsöder and Nyara Sabally, who all also score in double figures.

The German team has shown that it wants to stay in the tournament. And can. Newcomer Bühner is already her team's top scorer with an average of 15.3 points per game. And knows that it is important to “stay in the moment,” as she said after the game. Not that easy with so much euphoria.

But the next opponent is not just anyone, but the reigning European champions Belgium. The same Belgium, against whom the German team lost in the quarter-finals at the European Championships last year. Because Belgium is a tough opponent. An opponent with experienced players like basketball legend Emma Meesseman, who also happens to be an idol of the young Frieda Bühner, who will now play against her.

But the Belgian game isn't just about Meesseman, there are WNBA players Julie Allemand and Kyara Linskens, among others, who know how to deal with pressure situations. The Belgians won all games in the preliminary round. By qualifying directly for the quarter-finals, they had an additional day of rest, unlike the German team.

And not only that. Belgium is a team that wants to deliver. After winning the European Championship title for the second time in a row in 2025 and “only” finishing 4th and 5th at the last World Championships, Belgium is eager for the title and will not simply admit defeat. On the other hand: the German team won the penultimate meeting at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

“The Belgians are super smart,” says Bühner. The quarterfinals will be a completely new challenge. And for Coach Lange, the Belgian game always looks a bit “like a video game”. Nevertheless, you can win if you are disciplined and play good basketball. Combined with the belief in one's own strength and with a defense like the one used in the game against Korea, synergies can arise, believes Lange. With results that were never thought possible. He pauses for a moment before saying it: “We are now playing better than we are in some areas.” Because the solidarity and self-confidence in the team has grown significantly in the last few days thanks to the victories against Japan, Mali and now Korea.

Mentally, the German team seems to be perfectly prepared for the quarter-finals. Now it's time to gather strength. If everything really goes right on Thursday, the sensation could even succeed. If.