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The WNBA will take a break as the women begin to prepare for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup.
While the U.S. enters the World Cup as the clear favorite, pursuing a fifth consecutive title in Berlin, the Americans have some legitimate challengers who could shake things up. France, Belgium and Australia headline the top threats, while host-country Germany, Spain, China and Nigeria could make the knockout stage exciting.
The 16-team tournament runs Sept. 4-13 in Berlin with 36 games in 10 days. The winner of each four-team group advances directly to the quarterfinals. The second- and third-place teams meet in a Sept. 8-9 qualification round played as single-game elimination. Semifinals are Sept. 12, and the final is Sept. 13.
Team rankings below are from the FIBA World Rankings, and WNBA statistics are through Aug. 30 before the league’s break for the international competition. But first, big news!
Wilson, Plum Ruled Out of FIBA World Cup
USA Basketball announced this morning that A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum are out due to health reasons.
Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen have been added to 2026 USA Women’s National Team. Plum and Wilson, both two-time World Cup gold medalists, are no longer able to compete in Berlin due to health reasons.
Citron will make her USA Basketball senior debut in Berlin. Drafted No. 3 in the 2025 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics after playing collegiately at Notre Dame, Citron participated in the December 2025 Women’s National Team Training Camp and won gold as a member of the 2021 USA Basketball U19 World Cup Team and the 2019 USA Basketball U16 National Team.
Iriafen made her USA Basketball debut at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she averaged 5.4 points and 4.2 rebounds through five games. Iriafen played collegiately at Stanford University and USC before being drafted No. 4 overall by the Washington Mystics in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
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2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Contenders
United States (-400)
- FIBA World Ranking: 1
- Group: D
🔑 Key Players
- Breanna Stewart
- Caitlin Clark
- Paige Bueckers
- Napheesa Collier
- Aliyah Boston
- Angel Reese
- Chelsea Gray
- Sonia Citron
The U.S. is seeking its fifth straight World Cup gold medal and 12th overall. It returns five players from the 2022 championship team: Kahleah Copper, Gray, Clark, Stewart and Bueckers.
The U.S. roster is highlighted by 12 athletes with extensive USA Basketball experience, combining for 10 Olympic and five World Cup gold medals. The team also features nine players making their World Cup debuts. The USA are seeking their fifth consecutive – and 12th overall – World Cup gold medal.
Stewart supplies the group’s deepest World Cup experience. Berlin will be her fourth appearance, and she is 20-0 in World Cup games with three gold medals. Stewart was the 2018 World Cup MVP and earned All-Star Five honors in 2018 and 2022. She was averaging 20.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists for New York.
Clark, Bueckers, Boston and Angel Reese will be making their first U.S. appearances at a senior major event. Clark was averaging 22.5 points and 8.4 assists for Indiana, Bueckers was at 20.6 points and 5.9 assists for Dallas, and Boston was averaging 16.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.
The U.S. opens against China on Sept. 4 in a rematch of the 2022 final. The U.S. is 8-0 all-time against China in World Cup play and beat China 83-61 for the 2022 title.
France (+800)
- FIBA World Ranking: 2
- Group: B
🔑 Key Players
- Gabby Williams
- Dominique Malonga
- Marine Johannès
- Janelle Salaün
- Valériane Ayayi
France drew a favorable Group B, and its depth and two-way talent make it the most credible challenger to the United States. With a heartbreaking home loss in the gold-medal game at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Les Bleues are looking for revenge.
Williams, who led her team in Paris, gives France a versatile defender who can also score from the perimeter. She was averaging 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals for Golden State, and she started the WNBA All-Star Game in July in what was her second All-Star selection.
Malonga gives France size few teams can duplicate. The 6-6 Seattle center was averaging 17.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.5 blocks in 30 WNBA games, and she was named a first-time WNBA All-Star reserve.
Johannès adds shot-creation on the perimeter, and Salaün is the top contender for Sixth Player of the Year in the WNBA.
Belgium (+1000)
- FIBA World Ranking: 5
- Group: C
🔑 Key Players
- Emma Meesseman
- Julie Allemand
- Julie Vanloo
Belgium is the reigning Women’s EuroBasket champion. The Belgian Cats are chasing a first World Cup medal, and Meesseman gives them the veteran frontcourt talent to beat anyone in the field.
Meesseman, a WNBA champion with the Washington Mystics and the 2019 Finals MVP, has won back-to-back EuroBasket MVP awards. FIBA ranked her third among its 20 World Cup players to watch, behind only Wilson and Stewart.
Allemand directs the offense. Berlin will be her third World Cup. She led the 2018 tournament in assists at 8.2 per game, then averaged 10.2 points and 6.3 assists in 2022. FIBA describes her career World Cup assist average as the highest in the competition’s history.
Belgium closes group play against Australia on Sept. 7, and that game could define its tournament. The Cats head coach, Mike Thibault, is a familiar face to the Belgians. He coached the Mystics when the franchise won the WNBA title in 2019.
Australia (+1600)
- FIBA World Ranking: 3
- Group: C
🔑 Key Players
- Ezi Magbegor
- Alanna Smith
- Stephanie Talbot
- Jade Melbourne
Australia won Olympic bronze in Paris, but the Opals arrive in Berlin without one of the guards who helped them get there. Sami Whitcomb withdrew in late August with knee soreness. Miela Sowah, a Golden State guard and two-time WNBL champion who helped Australia win gold at the 2025 Asia Cup, replaced her.
Magbegor is Australia’s most important interior defender. The Seattle Storm forward was averaging 6.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.2 blocks in 13 games after missing the start of the WNBA season with a right foot injury. Her numbers understate her international role, where her mobility and rim protection anchor the Australian defense. FIBA ranked her fifth on its list of 20 players to watch.
Australia opens against Puerto Rico on Sept. 4 and faces Turkey on Sept. 6 before closing against Belgium on Sept. 7.
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2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Sleepers
China, Germany, Spain and Nigeria are not among the four contenders above, but each has enough talent or a favorable route to become a difficult opponent in the knockout stage.
Spain returns after missing the 2022 tournament, China was the 2022 runner-up, Germany has home-court support and Nigeria has an experienced, talented group capable of reaching the quarterfinals.
China (+3000)
- FIBA World Ranking: 4
- Group: D
🔑 Key Players
- Han Xu
- Li Yueru
- Yang Shuyu
China reached the 2022 final, and its frontcourt can control the paint against much of the field, though it opens against the toughest possible draw in the United States.
Han, the 6-9 New York Liberty center, was averaging 6.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 40 games, but her role with China is far larger. Li, a Dallas center, was averaging 3.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 28 games. Yang, China’s captain, makes her World Cup debut after earning All-Star Five honors at the qualifying tournament in Wuhan in March.
The matchup against Italy may decide whether China takes second place in Group D. Finishing second or third sends it into the qualification round against a Group C team: Australia, Belgium, Turkey or Puerto Rico.
Germany (+4000)
- FIBA World Ranking: 11
- Group: A
🔑 Key Players
- Leonie Fiebich
- Nyara Sabally
- Alexis Peterson
Germany is the host and Group A leaves little room for error against Spain, Japan and Mali, as the team will only have one-half of the Sabally sisters along with injury issues. The elder sibling, Satou Sabally, is unavailable because of concussion recovery. Her sister Nyara, a Toronto Tempo forward, missed recent games with a calf injury, and Fiebich had been out since July 3 with a foot injury. Fiebich is No. 10 on FIBA’s player-watch list. Needless to say, Germany will be dealing with injuries.
Nyara was averaging 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steal and 0.9 blocks in 24 games, including 20 starts, while shooting 52.7% from the field for the Tempo. Her availability could determine whether Germany can succeed in her sister’s absence.
Spain (+2500)
- FIBA World Ranking: 6
- Group: A
🔑 Key Players
- Megan DiLeo
- Awa Fam
- Iyana Martín
- Raquel Carrera
Spain missed the 2022 World Cup after taking medals at the previous three tournaments. The Spaniards bring veterans alongside a new generation led by Fam and Martín, whom FIBA highlighted as ready to deliver alongside the team’s established stars. Winning Group A would deliver direct passage to the quarterfinals.
U.S.-born DiLeo (formerly Gustafson) is central to Spain’s medal hopes. She is averaging 13.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for the Portland Fire.
Nigeria (+8000)
- FIBA World Ranking: 8
- Group: B,
🔑 Key Players
- Ezinne Kalu
- Amy Okonkwo
- Elizabeth Balogun
An eighth-place finish in 2018 remains Nigeria’s best World Cup result, and eighth at the 2024 Paris Olympics is its best Olympic finish. Kalu will carry much of the backcourt responsibility for D’Tigress. FIBA singled out the 34-year-old guard, writing that she “has seen it all” and that her know-how will be pivotal.
France is the favorite in Group B, but Nigeria has the experience and athleticism to compete for second. A second- or third-place finish would put D’Tigress in the qualification round against a Group A team, where one win would send them to the quarterfinals.
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2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Players to Watch
🇺🇸 America’s Captain: Breanna Stewart
Stewart sits at the center of the USA’s efforts to continue a historic run. FIBA ranked Wilson first and Stewart second on its list of the 20 players to watch in Berlin.
Stewart, the 2018 World Cup MVP, has never lost a World Cup game and can match Sue Bird’s record of four World Cup titles if the Americans win again.
✨ The Young Stars: Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese
Clark and Bueckers headline the U.S. debutants. Clark was the MVP of the World Cup qualifying tournament in San Juan during her senior national-team debut, and FIBA ranked her seventh on its player-watch list. Her range and passing give the Americans another elite facilitator alongside Gray and Plum. Bueckers, a 2026 WNBA All-Star starter, adds a poised three-level scorer who can create her own shot when possessions break down.
Reese enters the competition after the best run of her career. She grabbed 26 rebounds in an Aug. 24 win at Los Angeles, breaking Chamique Holdsclaw’s single-game WNBA record and passing A’ja Wilson’s single-season rebounding record in the same game.
📡 Under the Radar: Dominique Malonga and Gabby Williams
Malonga and Williams are central to France’s chance of reaching the final. Malonga’s size gives France a true interior centerpiece. Williams can defend high-level wings and contribute as a scorer and secondary playmaker. FIBA ranked Williams fourth among the tournament’s players to watch .
🇧🇪 Belgium’s Best: Emma Meesseman and Julie Allemand
Meesseman gives Belgium a frontcourt star who can score from the post or the elbow and create for others out of the same spots. Her consecutive EuroBasket MVP honors and her No. 3 spot on FIBA’s watch list show why Belgium’s medal hopes may run through her.
Allemand’s playmaking is equally essential. She led the 2018 World Cup field in assists at 8.2 per game, and FIBA describes her career World Cup assist average as the highest in tournament history.
🎙️ The Solo Show: Ezi Magbegor
Magbegor is the defensive anchor of Australia’s frontcourt and sits fifth on FIBA’s watch list, the highest of any player outside the United States, France and Belgium. Her importance grew in late August, when Whitcomb withdrew. Australia now needs Magbegor to hold up defensively against bigger frontcourts while carrying more of the offense inside.
🏥 Eye the Injuries: Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally
Fiebich and Nyara Sabally take on larger roles for Germany without Satou. Fiebich’s versatility and Sabally’s scoring and rebounding give the hosts a foundation for a competitive Group A run.
Photo Credit: REUTERS
