Defending champions the United States will face China in the women's team Last 16 at the 2026 IBF World Cup, after group play finished in Munich on Tuesday night. All eight Last 16 matches, the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are bowled on Wednesday, October 21, the last day of the event.
Macao, China are the only team without a loss, at 13-0 after two perfect days. Malaysia, beaten 3-2 by the Americans in the 2025 final, matched Macao with a clean sheet on Tuesday and finished third in Group B. They meet Australia, who qualified sixth from Group A, in one of the closest ties of the round.
The two groups finished six more rounds on Tuesday, following the seven bowled on Monday (see the first-day standings). From here the format changes: group matches were best of three Baker games, while every knockout match is best of five, so one bad game no longer decides a tie.
Women's Team Last 16 Matchups
Each group winner meets the eighth-placed team from the other group, second meets seventh, and so on.
Knockout Bracket
Wednesday, October 21. All matches best of five Baker games.
The bracket puts the United States on course for Macao or Germany in the quarter-finals. Singapore, the Philippines, Guatemala and Malaysia are all in the top half of the draw, with Sweden, France, Macao and the Americans in the bottom half.
Four Ties That Stand Out
- United States vs China. Gianna Brandolino, Jillian Martin, Shannon Pluhowsky and Jordan Snodgrass start the title defence. Pluhowsky and Martin both bowled on the 2025 winning team in Hong Kong. China went 4-2 on Tuesday to finish fifth in Group B.
- Australia vs Malaysia. Two strong qualifiers meet early: Australia went 9-4 in Group A and Malaysia 11-2 in Group B. Malaysia's line-up includes Natasha Roslan, Sunday's singles silver medallist, with Sin Li Jane, Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee and Nur Hazirah Ramli. Australia counter with Samantha Clifton, Dena Buxton, Siarn Ottaviano and 18-year-old Brianna Walsh, who reached the singles Last 16 on her adult international debut.
- Germany vs Macao, China. The hosts came through a roll-off to qualify eighth from Group A and now face the only team nobody has beaten this week.
- Norway vs Sweden. A Scandinavian derby. Norway needed a strong Tuesday and then a roll-off to qualify, and Sweden lost only twice in 13 rounds.
France also carry a singles champion into the bracket: Manon Clement won the women's singles gold on Sunday. They face Denmark.
How Tuesday Reshaped Group A
Singapore stayed first, but only just. Guatemala won five of six on Tuesday to catch them on 10-3 and 30 points, and Singapore kept top spot on games won, 20 to 18. France had the other 5-1 day and rose from the edge of the cut line into third.
The biggest climb belonged to Norway, who sat outside the top eight on Monday night at 3-4. A 4-2 second day brought them level with Germany and Canada on 21 points. Germany went the other way: 5-2 after the opening block, then 2-4. The three teams then bowled a one-game roll-off for the last two places (see below).
Final Standings
Qualifiers ranked by points, with Tuesday's record:
Group B: Macao and Malaysia Unbeaten on Tuesday
Malaysia lost twice on Monday and not at all on Tuesday, winning five matches and taking a bye to finish 11-2. That tied them with Sweden on 33 points, with Sweden placed second on the tiebreak. Macao were also perfect on Tuesday, adding six more wins (including two byes) to finish six points clear of both.
The Netherlands were second after the first day at 6-1 but split their six rounds on Tuesday and dropped to fourth. Greece and Austria both went 2-4 and ended level with the Czech Republic on 18 points, so the last two places in Group B also went to a roll-off.
Final Standings
Qualifiers ranked by points, with Tuesday's record:
Records include byes, which count as wins.
Roll-Offs Decide the Last Places in Both Groups
Both groups finished with three teams tied for seventh and eighth place, and in both cases a single roll-off game decided who went through.
In Group A, Norway, Germany and Canada were all 7-6 with 21 points. Norway won the roll-off with 182, Germany took the last place with 167, and Canada went out on 161.
In Group B, Greece, Austria and the Czech Republic were all 6-7 with 18 points. Greece shot 202, the best score of either roll-off, to take seventh. Austria followed with 168, and the Czech Republic's 149 ended their tournament.
Also eliminated: Spain, Ukraine, Iceland and Kuwait in Group A, and Türkiye, Poland and Slovakia in Group B.
The Men's Bracket on the Same Day
The men's team Last 16 is also bowled on Wednesday. Matches start at 07:42 Munich time, with the quarter-finals at 11:42, the semi-finals at 13:32 and the men's final at 15:12. Defending men's champions Malaysia open against Qatar, the Group A winners, and the United States men meet Macao, China. Full group results are in our men's Last 16 article.
Men's Team Matchups
Best of five Baker games, 07:42 Munich time:
Full scores for both brackets are on BowlChamp.
Your Weekly Bowling Digest
The latest bowling news, tips, and gear reviews, all wrapped up in a quick 3-minute read delivered straight to your inbox.
