Australia announced as host of FIBA Women's World Cup 2022

The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup is headed Down Under in 2022.

Sydney, Australia, will host the quadrennial event after Basketball Australia beat out a bid from the Russian Basketball Federation, FIBA announced Thursday. The tournament returns to the Oceanic nation for the first time since 1994.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for the city of Sydney to both promote and take women's basketball to the next level," said FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis in a statement.

Australia has reached the podium at each of the past two Women's World Cups, securing silver in Spain in 2018 and bronze in Turkey in 2014. The nation's only gold medal came in Brazil in 2006 when the Opals beat Russia in the championship match.

The United States has won the past three editions of the event and eight of the last 11 gold medals overall.