USA Women’s Basketball Faces New-Era Test at 2026 FIBA World Cup

Team USA enters the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin with a markedly younger lineup after four-time MVP A’ja Wilson (back injury) and Kelsey Plum (calf injury) withdrew days before the tournament. Their spots were filled by Washington Mystics guards Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, both first-time national-team members. The 12-player squad still includes veterans Breanna Stewart, Chelsea Gray and Kahleah Copper, but six players are under 25—the most on a U.S. World Cup or Olympic roster since 1994. Seven of the twelve have never played in a senior 5-on-5 international tournament, tying the second-most such players on a USA roster since 1994.

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The United States has won the last four women’s World Cups and captured Olympic gold in Paris 2024, a narrow 67-66 victory over France that highlighted the closing gap between the U.S. and other nations.

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• Four players (Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese) were No. 1 picks in recent WNBA drafts.

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• Clark and Bueckers each average over 20 points per game in the WNBA; Reese leads the team in rebounds (8.0 per game in the 2023 AmeriCup).

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• The roster features three former youth-team gold-medalists (Clark, Bueckers, Boston) who progressed from the 2017 U16 championship to senior competition.

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Coach Kara Lawson highlighted Angel Reese’s “aggression and physicality” as vital for FIBA play and noted the lack of a traditional veteran anchor, saying, “We don’t have that vet person; we are those people now.”

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The squad’s preparation window was limited to three days after the WNBA regular season ended on August 30. Players flew to Berlin on August 31 and arrived the next day, leaving only a brief period to integrate before the opening match.

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Team USA’s first test is the opening game against China, followed by a series of group-stage contests that will determine seeding for the knockout rounds. Success will hinge on how quickly the young core can coalesce and whether the depth of the roster can compensate for the loss of Wilson and Plum.

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• “I don't think any of us probably would have guessed we would have all made it [to this level], and that the WNBA is what it is now with the amount of attention that's on us,” — Caitlin Clark, WNBA guard

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• “There's always pride when you wear USA,” — Aliyah Boston, forward

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• “I just enjoy how she raises the level of a practice or of a game with her presence and with her intensity,” — Kara Lawson, head coach

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• “While they are kind of rookies, in my mind they're veterans,” — Carol Callan, national team director

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• “The crazy part is like we have no time. I’m heading out on Sunday. Some people are leaving on Monday, which means games start on Friday. You know, there’s like two days of practice and then games.” — Breanna Stewart, three-time Olympic gold medalist

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