The Korean women's basketball team finally failed to cross the wall of the Czech Republic.

South Korea 13th in FIBA ranking, led by head coach Park Soo-ho, lost 67-73 to the Czech Republic 23rd in the preliminary qualification final of the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup at Himnacio Juan de la Barrera in Mexico City, Mexico on the 26th.

Korea thus failed to win the tournament and failed to secure a ticket to the final qualifying round for the World Cup. They met again on the highest stage with the Czech Republic, which lost 63-76 in the group stage, but failed to avenge their loss again this time.

Korea also lost all four games against the Czech Republic, postponing its first win once again. Korea had been completely defeated in the group stage of the 2004 Athens Olympics and the second round of the 2010 Women's Basketball World Cup, and the same was true at this year's event.

This time, Park Ji-soo Galatasaray SK, Park Ji-hyun Bankstown Bruins, and Kang Yi-seul KB Stars were all on the line to see if they could finally catch the Czech Republic. Park had 22 points and seven rebounds, including three three-point shots, but could not prevent her team from losing. Park also performed her best with 14 points and seven assists and six rebounds.

The team had low scores in the first quarter. Both teams struggled with attacks. Korea started off well with Jihyun Shin's three-point shot, but ended up scoring only seven points throughout the quarter due to turnovers. It was fortunate that the Czech Republic was also tied to 10 points, failing to run away.

The Czech Republic's offense began to revive. Korea trailed 13-15 with Park Ji-soo's three-point shot, but the score gap widened by nearly three minutes of silence. The team was dragged 21-30 with about 50 seconds left in the second quarter. Still, Park finished the first half by trailing 26-31 with Park Ji-soo's three-point shot. 메이저놀이터

Korea turned the game around. Park Ji-hyun's three-point shot started the third quarter, and Lee So-hee's consecutive points scored to turn the game around 33-31. On top of that, Park Ji-soo made a long-range three-point shot and a layup under the basket to make it 40-35.

In the middle of the third quarter, Korea had a 48-41 run thanks to Park Ji-hyun's outside shot following a still from Jihyun Shin. However, the Czech Republic's counterattack was also formidable. Gabriela Andelova scored three consecutive three-pointers, trailing them 48-47, one point behind. Korea responded with Ahn Hye-ji's three-pointer, ending the quarter with a score of 51-47.

However, the Czech Republic's last-minute upset was scary. Korea showed a fierce seesaw game by allowing a 56-57 upset in the middle of the fourth quarter. However, with about three minutes left, the team was dragged 60-64 by Andelova, who allowed a series of outside and under the basket. And it allowed a fatal 3-pointer by Natalie Stupalova, falling behind 60-67.

Coach Park Soo-ho immediately tried to control the mood by shouting "Time out." Korea chased after Park Ji-hyun until the end, but was unable to stop Andelova. When Andelova scored under the basket with 45 seconds left to go, the score was 65-73, and the result was virtually decided. In the end, Korea failed to overcome the final crisis and lost the game.

Now, Korea has to seek to advance to the final qualifying round for the World Cup through the FIBA Women's Basketball Asia Cup to be held in Shenzhen, China in July next year. If Korea wins the Asian Cup, it will directly advance to the World Cup, and teams ranking second to sixth will qualify for the final qualifying round.