International

Jul 29 2026

Preview: FIBA U18 Women's EuroBasket 2026 in Tulcea, Romania

Ireland will take to the court on the 31st of July in Tulcea, Romania to compete in the FIBA U18 Women's EuroBasket 2026. The games will be broadcast live on FIBA's YouTube Channel and also on the Basketball Ireland website.

OUR OPPOSITION

Ireland will compete in Division B of the FIBA U18 Youth EuroBasket 2026, alongside nineteen other eager nations looking to get their hands on the prize. Ireland, who are currently ranked 70th in the world, have been drawn into Group C with Luxembourg (56th), Lithuania (28th), Estonia (72nd) and Austria (73rd).

They will play four matches over six days starting on July 31st against Lithuania, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the quarter-finals. The third, fourth and fifth placed teams will go into the 9th-21st classification games, with the tournament ultimately wrapping up on the 9th of August.

SQUAD NEWS

Ireland Women's U18 head coach Ian Lynch is bringing a strong 12-player squad to Romania in hopes of gaining promotion to Division A. Three players take the leap from the Ireland U16 programme with Laura Buckley, Madelyn Hartigan and Jean Aherne joining the U18 panel.

Four players will bring their experience to the court having featured in the FIBA Women's U18 EuroBasket 2025 in Lithuania, with Francesa Kyamagero, Meabh Purtill, Aoibheann Donnelly and Naomi Farrington returning.

The players are well acquainted as 11 of the squad are playing their basketball in Ireland, with the exception of Maddy Burke, playing in the Sacred Heart Academy in the USA. There is an abundance of talent being represented by clubs from all over Ireland, including clubs from Antrim, Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Kilkenny.

“There is a real sense of excitement and pride throughout our group. The players and staff have worked incredibly hard to earn this opportunity, and we’re looking forward to representing Ireland on the European stage," said head coach Ian Lynch. "Our preparation has been excellent. The commitment, attitude, and togetherness shown by this squad over the past number of months have been outstanding, and we arrive in Romania ready to embrace the challenge ahead."

Opening the tournament against Lithuania on Friday is something we’re all eagerly anticipating. Every game at this level is a tough test, and we have great respect for our opponents, but our focus is on delivering the performance we know we’re capable of," added Lynch. "Representing Ireland is a privilege, and we’re excited to get started. We can’t wait to take to the court on Friday and begin what we hope will be a memorable championship for this talented group of players.”

LAST TIME OUT

In 2025, Ireland won two out of seven matches, making it their best ever performance at the tournament. The FIBA U18 Women's EuroBasket 2025 was held between Vilnius and Alytus in Lithuania, where Ireland were drawn into a group with Romania, Germany, Sweden and North Macedonia. Their 89-56 win against North Macedonia earned them fourth place in the group, lining up a 9th-16th classification match with Slovakia.

A loss against Slovakia put Ireland in the 13th-16th place bracket, where they narrowly beat Denmark by two points to put them in position for a 13th and 14th place playoff. Ireland faced Romania in a game that ultimately went Romania's way, earning Ireland 14th place.

IRELAND SQUAD

Jean Aherne (Brunell BC), Laura Buckley (Limerick Celtics), Maddy Burke (Sacred Heart Academy, Hamden, Connecticut), Aoibheann Donnelly (Cleveland Rockets/Belfast Star), Naomi Farrington (Tolka Rovers), Madelyn Hartigan (Limerick Celtics), Francesca Kyamagero (Brunell BC), Abbie Lyons (Brunell BC), Meabh Purtill (Limerick Celtics), Kaitlyn Summers (Meteors BC), Caoimhe Timmons (Kilkenny Stars), Lucy Walsh (Glanmire BC).