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“THE MOST DIFFICULT WORLD CUP WE'VE HAD”
A'JA WILSON AND KELSEY PLUM ARE OUT. NINE PLAYERS ARE MAKING THEIR WORLD CUP DEBUT. USA GOES IN YOUNGER THAN EXPECTED.
August 1, 2026 - Berlin, Germany. Kara Lawson instructs the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup roster ahead of the USA’s first game on Friday. Photo Credit: USA Basketball
Kara Lawson knows the stakes are high for the United States in Berlin. That’s how it should be!
"I think it's going to be the most difficult World Cup to win that we've had — which is exciting. You should want it to be difficult. You know, it should be hard to win. It's a World Cup,” Lawson told the media Tuesday in response to a question from Khristina Williams (Girls Talk Sports/In Case You Missed It podcast).
She’s not wrong.
The 16-team field includes several worthy opponents wanting a World Cup win and the 2028 Olympic bid that comes with it.
Of course, the U.S. is already in the 2028 L.A. Olympics as the host country. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t something on the line, especially for the first-timers!
Only three players on this roster have ever played in a World Cup:
Breanna Stewart
Napheesa Collier
Chelsea Gray
Nine of USA's 12 players are making their World Cup debut. Six — Bueckers, Clark, Reese, Boston, Iriafen, and Citron — have never appeared in a major international competition at the senior level.
The latter two were announced after A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum withdrew for health reasons in the days leading up to Berlin.
This is a different USA team than the one that won 83-61 right here — against China — in Sydney four years ago.
The Lineup
Here’s what you need to know today:
‼️FIBA World Cup Field Guide - Volume I
The WBB Roundup World Cup Field Guide — For Subscribers!
🗓 Upcoming games
What’s on deck to begin the week.
📰 What we’re reading
Some great writing that’s come across our desks.
We built something for Berlin.
Berlin 2026: The WBB Roundup World Cup Field Guide is a living, updatable tracker covering every team, every game, and every storyline heading into the FIBA Women's World Cup — September 4–13 in Germany.
16 nations. 36 games. One trophy. USA chasing a five-peat.
Here's what's inside:
All 16 national team rosters as they're confirmed
Full group-phase and knockout schedule with a results column
Every WNBA player in the field and which country they're representing
NCAA connections across the field
Tournament history going back to 1953
And a fun facts section built for sharing!
We're updating it before every edition — twice weekly — through the final whistle on September 13.
⏬ Subscribe & Access the FIBA Guide ⏬
Already a Subscriber?!
Click to access the FIBA Guide Vol. 4
🏀 USA VS. CHINA — FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 | 8:15 AM ET | TNT/TRUTV/HBOMAX
USA IS 8-0 ALL-TIME AGAINST CHINA AT THE WORLD CUP. BUT NINE OF THESE PLAYERS HAVE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE.
USA and China open Group D action Friday in the first meeting between these programs since the 2022 World Cup Final — a game USA won by 22.
The United States is 8-0 all-time against China at the World Cup. In 2022, they beat China twice — 77-63 in group play and 83-61 in the gold medal game, with A'ja Wilson posting 17.2 points and 7.5 rebounds for the tournament and taking home MVP honors.
Like Wilson, Li Yueru also scored 19 points in the gold medal game. She also grabbed a game-leading 12 rebounds.
What to watch for USA:
Lawson has nine players experiencing the international game at this level for the first time. The FIBA game is different — wider lane, different officiating, teams that have been playing together for months while USA's players filtered in from their WNBA seasons over the past 72 hours.
Lawson acknowledged the adjustment: "We'll see if that's the same — how people defend her," she said specifically about Clark. "We're still in fact-finding mode."
On the last episode of We Need To Talk NOW, our founder Erica L. Ayala questioned what Clark’s role might be on the World Cup team.
The veterans will carry early weight. Stewart (averaging 12.8 ppg at the 2022 World Cup), Gray (9.2 ppg, 5.3 apg in 2022), and Collier have been here before. The newcomers have been told to be themselves — "your play and your confidence is what brought you here," Lawson said Tuesday.
The historical weight:
USA has medaled in every World Cup since 1979 — 12 consecutive tournaments. They're chasing a fifth straight gold, which would tie the Soviet Union's record of five consecutive from 1959-1975. Stewart, with a gold medal Friday, would tie Sue Bird for most gold medals in World Cup history at four.
Per USA Basketball, this roster has combined for 49 WNBA All-Star appearances, 11 WNBA championships, and six Rookies of the Year. Five players were No. 1 overall draft picks.
However, nine of them have never done this before.
"We don't have time to be worried about who's not here," Lawson said. "We've got to really focus on ourselves."
QUICK HITS — from the USA Basketball notes:
30+ consecutive wins! USA is 15-3 all-time in World Cup opening games. The last USA lost was the 2006 semifinals.
Breanna Stewart has played 20 World Cup games — more than anyone else on this roster. She has scored in double figures in 11 of them.
Caitlin Clark was the 2026 Qualifying Tournament MVP — 11.6 PPG team-high 6.4 APG in five games, team-best efficiency rating.
Kiki Iriafen's bio note: listed from USC, now on the Washington Mystics alongside Sonia Citron. Two Mystics teammates added to the roster together — the notes confirm they replaced Wilson and Plum.
Three sets of WNBA teammates on the roster: Gray and Young (Las Vegas), Boston and Clark (Indiana), Iriafen and Citron (Washington).
📰 WHAT WE’RE READING
At Black Rosie Media, we love to give flowers to other writers and creators in the women’s basketball community.
Here’s what we’re reading:
Should Breanna Stewart SKIP the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup? by Gotta Get Up! Podcast, Black Rosie Media
How Donna Orender's Upshot League filled a gap in women's basketball by Mitchell Northam, USA TODAY
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