2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup: Team USA Roster, Schedule and How to Watch with Sling TV
The world’s best women’s basketball players are headed to Berlin. Here’s what to know about the FIBA World Cup and how to watch with Sling TV.
The WNBA may be taking a break, but women’s basketball certainly isn’t. The 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup tips off September 4 in Berlin, bringing together 16 national teams and some of the biggest stars in the game for 10 days of international basketball.
And once again, everybody is chasing Team USA.
The Americans arrive in Germany looking for their fifth consecutive World Cup title, armed with a roster that includes Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Chelsea Gray. But they’ll have to do it without two of the biggest names originally slated to make the trip: A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum have both withdrawn for health reasons, with Plum also ruled out for the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season.
The roster may have changed. The expectation hasn’t: gold or bust. Here’s a preview.
How to watch the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup with Sling
The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup runs September 4-13, 2026, in Berlin, Germany. TNT Sports holds the exclusive English-language U.S. broadcast rights, with 17 games airing across TNT and truTV, including every Team USA matchup. All 36 tournament games will also stream on HBO Max.
Watch TNT and truTV with a monthly subscription to Sling Blue.
Team USA Roster for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-ebNVU2D5I
Four straight World Cups. Four straight gold medals. Team USA has owned this tournament for more than a decade, winning every Women’s World Cup since 2010. Now the Americans head to Berlin trying to make it five in a row.
They’ll do it with a roster that looks a little different than expected.
A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum, both two-time World Cup champions, were ruled out shortly before the tournament due to health issues. Washington Mystics teammates Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen were called up as their replacements. Plum, who has been dealing with a lower left leg injury, will also miss the remainder of the WNBA season.
Losing Wilson in particular would be a massive blow to just about any basketball team on Earth.
Team USA, however, still has quite a bit to work with.
Team USA Roster for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H7l6GtRczL0
Guards
- Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
- Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
- Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces
- Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream
- Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces
- Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics
Forwards
- Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
- Kahleah Copper, Phoenix Mercury
- Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream
- Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
- Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics
Center
- Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
The roster features an intriguing mix of established international stars and players getting their first taste of a senior World Cup. In fact, nine players on the final U.S. roster will make their World Cup debuts.
Duke head coach Kara Lawson will lead Team USA in Berlin.
Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers take the world stage
Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers are no strangers to the spotlight, and now they’re taking it to the World Cup stage. Both will make their senior World Cup debuts in Berlin, putting two of the most recognizable young guards in the WNBA on the same Team USA roster. Clark already got a taste of senior international competition earlier this year, competing with Team USA at the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico.
Add Angel Reese, Aliyah Boston, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen to the mix, and one of the most interesting parts of this tournament may be watching the next generation of Team USA basketball take shape in real time.
Fortunately, they have a few veterans around to show them the ropes.
Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray and Kahleah Copper give the Americans plenty of experience as they chase another gold medal.
Team USA World Cup schedule
The United States landed in Group D alongside China, Italy and Czechia.
Here’s the opening-round schedule:
Friday, September 4
USA vs. China
8:15 AM ET | TNT, truTV
Sunday, September 6
Italy vs. USA
2:45 PM ET | TNT
Monday, September 7
USA vs. Czechia
2:45 PM ET | TNT, truTV
Watch TNT with Sling Orange or Sling Blue and truTV with Sling Blue.
How does the FIBA Women’s World Cup work?
The World Cup features 16 teams divided into four groups of four, an expansion from the 12-team field used in 2022.
Each team plays three group-stage games. The winner of each group advances directly to the quarterfinals, while the second- and third-place teams move into a qualification round to compete for the remaining four quarterfinal spots. The fourth-place team in each group is eliminated.
From the quarterfinals on, it’s win or go home.
Group Stage: September 4-7
Qualification games: September 8-9
Quarterfinals: September 10
Semifinals: September 12
Third-Place Game: September 13
Championship Game: September 13
Who could challenge Team USA?
The Americans may be the favorites, but there’s no shortage of international talent in Berlin.
Belgium enters after winning the most recent FIBA Women’s EuroBasket title, while Australia won the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup. Better yet, the two landed in the same group and will meet September 7 in what could be one of the best games of the opening round.
France enters the tournament ranked No. 2 in the world with a roster featuring Marine Johannès, Gabby Williams, Iliana Rupert and Dominique Malonga, while Nigeria comes to Berlin as the reigning Women’s AfroBasket champion. Host nation Germany will also have the benefit of playing the entire tournament on home soil.
That’s what makes the World Cup particularly fun: WNBA teammates become international opponents, familiar stars suddenly find themselves playing under different systems, and there’s very little room for a bad night once the knockout rounds begin.
Team USA has the talent to win it again. But there are plenty of teams in Berlin eager to make sure that doesn’t happen.
2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup FAQ
When is the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup?
The tournament runs September 4-13, 2026, in Berlin, Germany.
Why is the WNBA taking a break?
The WNBA pauses its regular season during the World Cup so players can represent their national teams. The league resumes play on Sept. 17 after the tournament.
Is Caitlin Clark playing for Team USA?
Yes. Clark is on the 12-player Team USA roster and will make her senior World Cup debut in Berlin.
Is A’ja Wilson playing in the World Cup?
No. Wilson withdrew from the tournament for health reasons. Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen were added to Team USA following the withdrawals of Wilson and Kelsey Plum.
Is Kelsey Plum playing in the World Cup?
No. Plum withdrew while dealing with a lower left leg injury and has also been ruled out for the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season.
What channel is the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup on?
TNT Sports holds the exclusive English-language U.S. broadcast rights. TNT and truTV will carry 17 games, including every Team USA matchup, while all 36 tournament games will stream on HBO Max.
When is the FIBA Women’s World Cup championship game?
The championship game is scheduled for
Sunday, September 13
2:00 PM ET | TNT, truTV
The world is coming for Team USA. Watch it with Sling.
Team USA heads to Berlin without A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum and with nine players set to make their World Cup debuts. But with Clark, Bueckers, Stewart, Collier, Gray and plenty more firepower on the roster, the goal remains exactly what it’s been for the last four tournaments.
Bring home the gold.