FIBA: Belgium takes on Australia in Paris Olympics bronze medal game

Belgium and Australia will play for a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics this Sunday, Aug. 11. The third-place game in the women’s 5×5 basketball tournament will tip-off at 5:30 a.m. ET and can be streamed digitally via Peacock.

Belgium has already made history by making the bronze medal game, having bowed out in the first round of the women’s basketball tournament at the 2020 Tokyo Games in the country’s first-ever Olympic appearance. In that one-point loss to eventual silver medalists Japan, it was clear that the international basketball world had not seen the last of the Belgians, and that given good health, they’d be back and better in 2024.

It’s safe to say that’s come to fruition. In Paris, Belgium officially has taken that next step, ranking third among competing teams in points per game (76.4) and second in field goal percentage (46.8 percent) thanks to a roster with several talented playmakers and shooters. Look no further than Belgium’s passing statistics to get an idea of why they’ve been so good: four of their players are averaging at least four assists per game (Emma Meesseman, Julie Vanloo, Antonia Delaere and Elise Ramette), a surefire indication of an unselfish group that doesn’t need any one player to dominate the basketball in order to succeed.

Make no mistake, though: Meesseman is still Belgium’s star. In fact, she’s been playing like one of the best players in the world. The veteran forward has made a name for herself in the WNBA for over a decade with her unique skillset and efficiency with the basketball, and her talents have been on full display in Paris. She’s leading the competition in scoring at 23.4 points per game, and in typical Meesseman fashion, is shooting at an extremely accurate clip (59.8 percent).

How Australia defends Meesseman will be paramount in their effort to reestablish themselves as regular Olympic medalists. After a period during which Australia medaled in five-consecutive Olympics (1996 through 2012), they failed to advance past the first round of the tournament in both 2016 and 2020.

Though Australia may not be as dominant relative to the field as they were in the 2000s, they still have more than enough talent to compete, as evidenced by their performance in Paris. The Aussies have a well-balanced squad, featuring length in the frontcourt with Ezi Magbegor and Alanna Smith, knockdown outside shooting courtesy of Sami Whitcomb and Tess Madgen and two-way versatility in Steph Talbot.

Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images

For as balanced as the Australian roster is, it’s still searching for its next star player to lead it back to the heights the program once enjoyed. In this respect, the bronze medal game is just as big of an opportunity for Australia as it is for Belgium: one up-and-coming young team looking to establish itself as an international basketball superpower, and the other a veteran group out to prove that its best days are not completely in the past.

Game information

Belgium vs. Australia

When: Sunday, August 11 at 5:30 a.m. ET

Where: Bercy Arena in Paris, France

How to watch: Peacock, USA Network