Group play for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup kicks off Friday in Berlin, Germany, and you already know who everyone’s eyeing: Team USA, chasing their fifth straight title. These Americans are the overwhelming favorite to bring home a vault full of gold medals, no doubt about it. But get this: while other national teams have been grinding it out for a month or two, our squad had less than a week to get ready. Talk about a tight turnaround for a major international competition!
The Sprint to Gold
You’d think being the favorite means an easy road, right? Not so fast. The World Cup runs through September 13th, with the WNBA season picking back up on the 17th. This means players are hitting the ground running from their pro seasons straight into international play. Wings head coach Jose Fernandez, who’s actually traveling with Team USA as a scout coach, summed it up perfectly after his team’s 97-71 thrashing of the Connecticut Sun on Sunday. He called it an “incredible honor” to represent your country against the best, but he also highlighted the insane challenge. “I think it’s the toughest tournament to win with the 16 teams and with the shortened amount of time that our national team gets to practice,” Fernandez said. “Everyone we’re taking over there has just played 40 games. Looking forward to it. Everything will move pretty quickly.” He’s not wrong. It’s a high-stakes sprint, and that quick turnaround is what makes this run for gold so compelling.
Familiar Faces and Fresh Blood
This tournament is loaded with talent, and we’ll see some familiar faces rocking their national colors. Alanna Smith is suiting up for Team Australia, and Costanza Verona will be repping Team Italy. Huge bummer for Team China, as Li Yueru had to drop out after losing her passport in the mail, which she announced on September 2nd. For Team USA, Paige Bueckers is on the roster, bringing her relentless drive to the international stage, and like we said, Jose Fernandez is there as a scout. Speaking of Bueckers, she dropped some real talk on Sunday, saying, “The greatest thing basketball has brought me is the relationships… To be able to go to war with people I love, to grind and grow and be together with them has always been my favorite part. To be able to represent our country and play for something so much bigger than yourself is truly an honor at the highest level. You never want to feel entitled and think that’s going to be handed to you. You have to earn it, and so to have that honor, I’m feeling very blessed.” That’s the mindset you need when you’re going for gold. Plus, Team USA just announced Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen from the Washington Mystics are stepping in, replacing Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson due to health concerns. That’s a shift, but this roster is still absolutely packed with stars ready to roll in Berlin.
So, how do you catch all this action? The entire tournament is streaming on HBO Max, so American hoop-heads are covered. All of Team USA’s games specifically will be live on TNT and truTV, giving you cable options too. You can also stream the whole thing through FIBA’s Courtside 1891 platform. Get ready, because Friday kicks off what promises to be an epic battle for basketball supremacy, and Team USA is ready to make history!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mavs Moneyball.
Leave a Reply