USA Basketball is betting on the future, naming WNBA Rookie of the Year winners Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers to its 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament 12-player roster on Wednesday.
Making their competitive senior team debuts alongside Clark and Bueckers will be Angel Reese, Sonia Citron, and Kiki Iriafen, with 2024 Olympic gold medalists Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young backing the fresh faces, among other international veterans.
Duke University head coach Kara Lawson will lead the team, with support from a trio of WNBA managers serving as assistants: Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries), Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury), and Stephanie White (Indiana Fever).
"We have a great generation of young, very talented players coming up," Lawson said in Wednesday's USA Basketball announcement. "It will be good to have them in a position to play with Team USA this time and see how they gel with everyone."
While the US already booked a spot in Berlin's 2026 World Cup by winning the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup in July, next month's qualifiers will serve as a testing ground for September's main event.
Senegal, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, and Puerto Rico join USA Basketball managing director Sue Bird's hand-picked roster in San Juan from March 11th to March 17th, while simultaneous qualifying tournaments tip off in France and China.
