By Ken Marantz
OCA Media
Nagoya, Japan, September 23, 2026: If defending champion China and host Japan are to clash in women’s basketball at the Asian Games, it will be for a medal, most likely the gold.
The two powerhouses were placed in opposite brackets when the draw for Thursday’s quarterfinals was made following the end of play in the group stage on Tuesday night.
In the quarterfinals, Group B winner Japan (3-0) was drawn to face Thailand (0-2), which finished third in Group A.
The winner will advance to a semifinal meeting with the winner between Group C runner-up Chinese Taipei (2-1) and Group B runner-up Philippines (2-1).
The lower half of the last-eight brackets looks to produce a semifinal between China and Korea.
Group A winner China (2-0) will face Mongolia (1-2), the third-place finisher in Group C, while Group C winner Korea (3-0) takes on Group A runner-up Indonesia (1-1).
In the history of Asian Games women’s basketball dating back to 1974, the titles have all been won by China, Japan or Korea. China has won the most golds with seven, including the last two, while Korea has four and Japan two.
