FIBA has a chance to do, in the space of just 10 days, something that both WNBA and Nike have failed to do. The 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup of basketball presents the opportunity to actually convert the scale of the marketing phenomenon that is Caitlin Clark.
Resources matter. At least they should. Really the scale of resources ought to matter. FIBA has, for example, far greater resources than BallinEurope. That’s somewhat reassuring when you think about it. Yet it pales in comparison to both the WNBA and, especially, Nike.
Yet FIBA has a real opportunity in Berlin to more than punch above its weight in September. For context, Nike spent an absurd $4.75 billion on demand creation (essentially marketing and promotion) in its most recent fiscal year.
The WNBA doesn’t spend at that level but still has far greater resources than FIBA. Yet it’s plucky old FIBA that might finally make a good go of capitalising on the opportunity that Caitlin Clark presents.
Money on the table
The WNBA and Nike each knew the opportunity that Caitlin Clark presented upon turning pro. Yet they wildly failed to anticipate demand for Clark merch in her rookie season, despite the breadth of indicators telling them to stock up more.
Within the WNBA, there’s an institutional urge, naturally, to promote all of its stars. Yet it fails to see how building up Clark can be a tool to aid in boosting those other players. This is marketing 101. The audience wanted Clark, if you want them to want the rest build it around what they want. FIBA gets this and is smartly scheduling USA games at the FIBA Women’s World Cup to build on it.
Yet, honestly, Nike deserves greater criticism. Despite Nike winning the bidding war in 2024, she wasn’t revealed as a signature athlete until August of last year. The wait for her first signature shoe is still ongoing, although we’ll get back to that. If ever there was an athlete you rush to get it done with, it’s Clark.
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FIBA has something the others don’t
That would be a clean slate. The few glimpses of Caitlin Clark in international duty so far have been promoted well. The showpiece event fully under FIBA’s control (so not the Olympics) is a real chance to boost the women’s game as a whole.
You are going to see lots of Clark at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup and, despite comparatively scant resources, FIBA will make sure of it. The governing body wants casual viewers for its events and it knows that Clark will bring them.
In turn, those alongside and against her will benefit. People tuning in for Clark will see what Veronika Vorackova (Czechia), Cecelia Zandalasis (Italy), and Han Xu (China) have to offer in the group phase. Then there’s the possibility of more people getting to know Emma Meesseman (Belgium), Marine Johannes (France), Megan Gustafson (Spain), Mai Yamamoto (Japan), or Frieda Buhner (Germany).
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Signs are already promising
Germany, Berlin in particular, is the ideal spot for this tournament. Basketball membership is booming and, while the men’s team has won the big titles in the full form basketball, the women’s 3×3 team won gold in Paris. The game as a whole is visibly growing. Added to this is the phenomenal culture of strong attendances in Germany across sports, largely down to smart community marketing and engagement.
Ticket sales have exceeded 160,000 already, with most of those going before Caitlin Clark was officially confirmed to make the roster. FIBA understands the opportunity it has at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. When it posted a video of Clark highlights from qualifiers, it got more than 10 times the normal viewership of Team USA highlights.
Caitlin Clark is the reach, Berlin is providing the market hungry to watch the tournament. FIBA can win simply by getting the basics right that the WNBA and Nike have failed to do. This is a festival of women’s basketball and FIBA can use Clark as a beacon to draw in more eyeballs.
About that shoe
The final of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup is on 13 September. I mention this because that is 18 days before the Caitlin 1 finally drops. That will, assuming the USA retains the title (they haven’t lost a game in the tournament since 2006), that FIBA will get a chance for another big push after the tournament.
The timing may be serendipitous but we’ve seen how, even with the table set, that both the WNBA and Nike have failed to make the most of the opportunity Clark presents. FIBA’s smaller resources means it can simplify the plan and get the basics right.
That’s really all this needs. Lots of basketball business and sports marketing is complicated. This isn’t. You’ve got a star, you’ve got a goal, and you can build off that star to achieve it. If only there was a catchy slogan to tell FIBA what they just need to do.
