Team USA at the 2026 Women's World Cup
Updated October 9, 2026: Added the August 31 roster changes and the September 13 final, and removed the claim that Clark and Reese were playing together for the first time.
How the roster changed and how the tournament ended
The United States beat France 97-79 in Berlin on September 13 to win its fifth consecutive Women's Basketball World Cup. This article began as an August 30 preview; it now includes the roster changes and the result.
The roster changed before the opener. USA Basketball announced on August 31 that Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen would replace Kelsey Plum and A'ja Wilson, who could not compete for health reasons. The original announcement therefore should not be read as the final tournament roster.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese had already been teammates on Team WNBA at the 2024 All-Star Game. Berlin brought them together in a different setting: the senior national team's World Cup campaign. Their fit was an interesting basketball question. Clark's passing could create opportunities for Reese around the basket, while Reese's offensive rebounding offered second chances after missed shots. That was a matchup to watch, not a guarantee of how the offense would operate.
The tournament ran September 4-13. The United States opened group play against China on September 4, followed by Italy on September 6 and Czechia on September 7. Those dates are part of the completed tournament schedule, rather than upcoming fixtures.
For the result and tournament record, use FIBA's final game page. For the change from the original U.S. roster, use USA Basketball's August 31 announcement. Both are linked below.
USA Basketball roster update · 2024 Team WNBA roster · FIBA tournament final
How this story was made: drafted with AI tools from the sources linked above, then reviewed and edited by Ryan Moalemi. How we make Full Court Buckets