2026 FIBA Women's World Cup: Predicting Team USA's roster a month before WNBA breaks for tournament play

Team USA will be seeking its fifth straight gold at the tournament, which will run from Sept. 4-13 in Berlin Jul 31, 2026 at 12:56 pm ET • 7 min read The 2026 WNBA season is back underway after an entertaining All-Star break in Chicago, but play will only resume for a month until there's another pause for the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup in Germany. The tournament will run from Sept. 4-13 in Berlin, and the WNBA will break from Aug. 31 until Sept. 16 so that players can participate with their national teams. Notably, this will be the last FIBA Women's World Cup that takes place during the WNBA season. In May, FIBA approved a new calendar that will shift the World Cup to a November-December window starting with the 2030 edition, which will take place in Japan. Some countries, including Australia, France and Spain, have already announced their rosters for the 16-team competition. The United States has yet to do so, and it's unclear exactly when Team USA's 12-player roster will be revealed – though given the timeline, it would have to be by mid-August at the latest. Ahead of the Americans' quest for a fifth consecutive World Cup gold medal – their loss to Russia in the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup is their last defeat at a major international tournament – let's try to predict the roster. First, a few notes. The World Cup roster often has a slightly different make-up than the Olympic roster. Because the World Cup is not as prestigious, USA Basketball is generally more willing to give younger players or those without international experience a chance. Just look at the 2022 roster, for example, when then-rookie Shakira Austin was included, along with Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. Neither player had any chance at the 2024 Olympic roster. Additionally, because the Olympics are more important, some veterans are willing to skip the World Cup. It will be particularly interesting to see what happens this year when it's taking place in the middle of a 44-game regular season. If A'ja Wilson sits out, for example, and has nearly three weeks off ahead of the playoffs while Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier are grinding out six games in 10 days in between flights across the Atlantic, that would be a huge advantage for the Aces in the postseason. Wilson, for what it's worth, was non-committal when asked about her World Cup plans earlier this week. "I have given it some thought, not gonna lie. It has been a thought of mine just to see how to navigate it all, and just the prioritization that would need to go into that," Wilson said. "But I'm gonna see when it gets to that moment and how I feel. My body's gonna tell it all, honestly." Finally, Team USA experience matters. Kelsey Mitchell, for example, is playing as well as any American guard right now, but she's never been on the roster for a major 5x5 international tournament and wasn't a part of the most recent Team USA training camp. It's extremely unlikely she's on the World Cup squad as a result. The candidatesThe bigsThere's a pretty obvious frontcourt quartet that Team USA would love to have on the plane to Berlin: Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Aliyah Boston. But will they get all -- or even any -- of them? Wilson is non-committal as of now, Collier only just returned from offseason surgery on both ankles and Boston, who took an awkward fall on Tuesday, has been dealing with right leg issues since Unrivaled. Stewart has been healthy this season, but she's participated in every major tournament since the 2014 World Cup and may want a break. Alyssa Thomas is another veteran option. She was on Team USA for the 2022 World Cup and 2024 Olympics, but the 34-year-old's play has slipped ever so slightly this season. It's easy to see USA Basketball giving her spot to a younger player they want to gain international experience – especially if they get their preferred vets. It's worth noting that Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts is part of the coaching staff, however, which may give Thomas a leg up. Who are some of those young bigs?Angel Reese, Kiki Iriafen and Cameron Brink are all younger than 25 and have been around the program over the past year. Reese and Iriafen were both part of the team that won the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament (QT) in Puerto Rico in March, while Brink was at the most recent training camp in April. Reese and Iriafen were both All-Stars this season and have been playing excellent basketball, but Brink is in the midst of another frustrating, injury-filled campaign. It's hard to see Brink making this team. Team USA can almost certainly get five bigs from that group, but if for some reason they can't, Dearica Hamby, Azura Stevens and Austin are three longshots worth mentioning. Hamby was on the QT team in March, Stevens was at the April training camp and Austin was on the '22 roster. The wingsThere aren't a ton of true wings in the WNBA, and one of the best plays for the French national team (Gabby Williams). But even if there's not a lot of depth here for Team USA, there can be no complaints about the top-level options. Jackie Young and Kahleah Copper are the first two vets that USA Basketball will call. Both were on the 2024 Olympic roster and the QT roster in March, and were named WNBA All-Stars this season. Their two-way versatility is crucial in international basketball. If Young and Copper are options 1A and 1B, then Rhyne Howard is 1C. She made her 5x5 debut back at the 2021 AmeriCup and was on the QT team in March, but is yet to play at a major international competition. This would be a perfect time for her debut. Something like five bigs, three wings and four guards would make sense for the final 12-player roster, but we'll see if Team USA can get all of Young, Copper and Howard. If not, or if the roster breakdown is slightly different, Sonia Citron is another name you have to consider. She's having a rough 3-point shooting season, which may hurt her chances, but she was supposed to be on the QT roster until she was sidelined by an injury and USA Basketball clearly has a pathway for her to the national team. Rae Burrell deserves a shout as a longshot candidate. She's enjoying a career year with the Sparks and was on the QT team. The guardsThe backcourt is the most interesting aspect of the roster to discuss, due to the depth at the position, the youth versus experience debate and a few stars' injury issues this season in the WNBA. Let's start with Caitlin Clark. USA Basketball was widely criticized for leaving her off the 2024 Olympic roster; that won't happen again, especially with Fever coach Stephanie White serving as an assistant for Team USA. The Fever star made her senior national team debut in the QT in March, where she won MVP, and she'll be on the plane to Berlin unless she turns them down for some reason. FIBA World Cup: Caitlin Clark thrives in injury return; Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese push for roster spots Jack Maloney Paige Bueckers and Chelsea Gray are likely the next two calls. Bueckers made her senior national team debut in the QT in March alongside Clark, while Gray is a stalwart who has been at every major tournament since the 2020 Olympics, and was one of the few vets at the QT. Is Gray one of the four best American guards right now? Probably not in a vacuum, but USA Basketball always likes to have veteran point guards around. Speaking of veterans, it will be fascinating to see what happens with Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum. Both were on the 2024 Olympic team, and at that time seemed to be shoe-ins for the World Cup. But both have missed significant time this WNBA season due to injuries, and Plum is still sidelined. It's possible we don't see either in Berlin. On the other end of the spectrum, what will USA Basketball do with Olivia Miles? The rookie has been remarkable this season and deserves a spot strictly off WNBA form, but that doesn't guarantee anything – just ask Clark. Here's why Miles has a better chance to make this roster, though: the World Cup is not as prestigious as the Olympics, and it happens later in the season so she has a longer track record of success. Veronica Burton, who was at the most recent training camp, deserves a mention as a longshot; Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase is an assistant, which may help her case. Allisha Gray, who was a part of the 2020 Olympic team, is another good option.The four guards – assuming that's the number – will almost definitely come from that group. The final predictionJust based on the schedule and the quotes from some players coming out of the All-Star break about needing more rest, it does feel like a few big names are going to skip this tournament. But except in certain cases, such as the still-sidelined Plum, I wasn't going to leave off any of the superstars without something concrete. Sure, maybe Wilson decides she needs the time off, but I'd rather put her on my predicted roster and have her back out than take a wild swing in the dark. As I touched on earlier, I stuck with a construction of five bigs, three wings and four guards. Without further ado, here's my final prediction for Team USA's 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup roster. PlayerWNBA teamPositionAliyah BostonFeverBigNapheesa CollierLynxBigAngel ReeseDreamBigBreanna StewartLibertyBigA'ja WilsonAcesBigKahleah CopperMercuryWingRhyne HowardDreamWingJackie YoungAcesWingPaige BueckersWingsGuardCaitlin ClarkFeverGuardChelsea GrayAcesGuardOlivia MilesLynxGuard