Sunday, August 25 Final Hungary 63-47 Senegal Hungary were so ruthless on Sunday, August 25, as they beat Senegal 63-47 to win the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying tournament which concluded at BK Arena. After suffering a shock 63-61 defeat to Senegal in Group C earlier this week, Peter Volgyi's team stepped on the floor knowing that allowing Senegal to apply their physicality and fast-break plays would turn out costly. The Hungarians not only moved the ball exceptionally well, but they also locked in defensively to end Senegal's winning streak in the competition. Both Hungary and Senegal closed their campaigns with a 4-1 mark apiece and Sunday’s win turned out to be the sweetest for the Hungarians who not only achieved a revenge against their Group C rivals Senegal but also booked a ticket to the World Cup qualifiers. Diagne Fatou opened the score to spark Senegal's largest lead (19-16) in the second quarter. However, Hungary responded with a 5-1 run to take a narrow 21-20 lead, and the European side never trailed again. The Women's EuroBasket 2023 semi-finalists went on to lead by as 22 points in the third quarter, ending any Senegal's hope of fighting back. Virag Kiss came off the bench - once again in the competition - to dominate Senegal's painted area with class and admirable skillset. Kiss finished 6-for-8 to go away with a team-high of 17 points while adding 4 rebounds. Playing at such high level, there was no way Hungary would lose this title game. With Senegal's poor shooting from behind the arc (1 for 11), and Hungary's 22 assists compared to Senegal's 12, it's fair to say that the better team came up on top. Difference between Senegal and Hungary? The winners' bench outscored their opponents' 32-15. Prior to the final, Peter Volgyi and Reka Lelik were clear about their ambition in Kigali. They insisted that Hungary was playing at a much better level compared to their opening loss to Senegal, and this became evident right at the start of the game when Hungarians kept their composure and wait for Senegal's mistakes. Six turnovers in the second quarter was the last straw for Senegal, and Hungary kept capitalising from them. Midway through the tournament, and the numbers are there to attest it, there was never a question who the best team in the tournament. Hungary deservedly came up on top of this eight-team tournament. Meanwhile, Rwanda’s journey at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 pre-qualifying tournament came to a shocking end following a 65-68 semifinal loss to Senegal on Saturday.
