The USA women’s basketball team will be looking to match their male counterparts by booking their spot at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games when the world championships start this weekend. Two weeks after the US men became the first basketball team to qualify for Rio, 16 nations will go into battle at the FIBA World Championship for Women in Turkey, with the winner guaranteed a place at the first Olympic Games to be staged in South America.

And going on form, it seems likely that the USA will contest the final in Istanbul on 5 October. The defending world and Olympic champions are ranked no.1 in the world and boast a 25-game unbeaten run in Olympic and world championship tournaments. However, any chance of the seven-time Olympic champions being complacent was reduced by a recent 76-72 defeat by France in an exhibition game.

“Just because we have this jersey on that says USA, doesn’t mean we step on the floor and win automatically,” said three-time Olympic champion and two-time world champion guard Sue Bird, 33. “And if anything, it means that other teams are going to play their best against us, and we can never have a lull. We can never take a break. We realise now what we need to tighten up, and I’m pretty confident that we are going to do that.”

France, the 2009 European champions and runners-up in 2013, won the silver medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, losing in the final to the USA. The team’s top scorer then, 32-year-old guard Céline Dumerc, remains proud of that performance, but stresses that the current France team is a new breed.

“In London, I experienced some great moments, both individually and collectively,” she said. “It seems like only yesterday, but the current team has changed a lot. However, I think it’s the same for every team except for the USA, and we knew that it was a cycle for us because we had prepared for that particular Olympic goal since 2008.”

Australia, the current world no.2, won the world title in 2006 and has claimed medals in each of the past five Olympic Games – three silvers and two bronzes. However, the Aussies will not have their main star, centre Lauren Jackson, who has not recovered from a knee injury in time.

“Lauren has been a cornerstone of the programme for more than 14 years and she's played an immeasurable part in making the team a powerhouse on the world stage,” said head coach Brendan Joyce. “As a team, we are obviously disappointed not to have her with us, but our goals have not changed. Lauren cannot be easily replaced and everyone will have to share the load.”

Birsel Vardarli has called on Turkey fans to help the team on home soil (Photo: Getty Images/Christian Petersen)

Hosts Turkey, ranked 13th in the world, will hope home advantage aids their debut in the world championship. “We’re playing our group games in Ankara and even in the recent exhibition games, the stands were full and that made us really happy,” said guard Birsel Vardarli. “I think together with our fans it is going to be a great atmosphere. When we finish the group phase and come to Istanbul for the final games, we'll want everyone to come and support us.”

The tournament starts on Saturday (27 September) with eight matches, four in Istanbul and four in co-host city Ankara. The 16 teams will compete in four pools, with Brazil, Czech Republic, Japan and Spain in group A, while Canada, France, Mozambique and Turkey form group B. Group C comprises Australia, Belarus, Cuba and Republic of Korea , while group D is made up of Angola, China, Serbia and the USA. The first placed teams in each pool will advance directly to the quarter-finals, while the second and third placed sides will need to play an extra qualification round.

The FIBA World Championship for Women is the first women’s basketball qualifying event for Rio 2016. The other berths will be decided in five continental qualifying tournaments in 2015, and at the International Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2016. Brazil, as host nation, may have their place guaranteed through an invitation by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

Rio2016.com is not an absolute authority on qualification for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is an ongoing process. Final places will only be confirmed in July 2016 (for the Olympic Games) and August 2016 (for the Paralympic Games). The qualification systems are defined by each sport’s respective International Federation and the International Olympic Committee or International Paralympic Committee, and are subject to change. When an athlete or team wins a quota place for their nation, the final decision on whether this ‘slot’ is used and which athletes are sent is taken by the respective National Olympic Committee or National Paralympic Committee (NOC or NPC). Even when athletes win a ‘nominal’ place for themselves, NOCs/NPCs may have to decide who to send if the number of qualified athletes from one country exceeds the quota.