2026 FIBA World Cup: Team USA Faces New Challenges in Berlin
Berlin will become the center of the women’s basketball world on Friday, Sept. 4, when the 2026 FIBA World Cup tips off and the sport’s biggest power walks into a very different landscape.
Sixteen teams are in the field this time — back to the expanded format used from 1990 to 2018 — and they are deeper, sharper and far less intimidated by the red, white and blue than in years past. Team USA still arrives as the giant, winner of nine of the last 12 World Cups and the last four in a row. But even the Americans’ new head coach, Kara Lawson, knows this one won’t come easy.
Lawson’s warning: “It should be hard to win”
Lawson, who has turned Duke into an ACC powerhouse and once wore this same USA jersey herself, has spent the build-up studying not just opponents, but the trend line of the sport.
"There's no question that the world is improving at a rapid rate. It's so exciting to see," she said, pointing to what she watches year-round: teenage prospects and rising stars from all over the globe in FIBA play. The days of scanning a World Cup roster and circling one or two threats are gone.
"Now, when you look at rosters, there's a number of just high quality players. I think the depth of these rosters is really strong. I think it's gonna be the most difficult World Cup to win that we've had because of that, which is exciting."
That’s not a complaint. It’s almost a challenge.
"You should want it to be difficult, you know? It should be hard to win. It's a World Cup, you know? ... It's the best teams, and it's a tough schedule, and it's a short ― it's all those things you want to say it is, but at the end of the day, every team's job is to try and win this. And so we're hungry, and we're focused on trying to put our best performances on display and see if we can get the job done."
The bar is clear. So is the expectation.
A new American backcourt star on the world stage
For the first time, the World Cup spotlight will include Caitlin Clark in a USA senior jersey. The Indiana rookie has dragged WNBA defenses out to 30 feet all summer. Now she gets a different kind of test: international schemes, shorter prep time, and the pressure of a program that measures success only in gold.
Lawson has had a front-row seat.
"Caitlin's focused. She's had a great campaign with Indiana. I've gotten to watch her a lot in person this summer. So she's locked in and ready to go," Lawson said.
Clark’s impact goes beyond the logo threes that made her a phenomenon.
"She's somebody that can change games with her ability to create pace, her ability to score, playmaker, and so that's something that is gonna be a great fit for the personnel that we have on this team," Lawson explained. Her shooting stretches defenses, her passing unlocks teammates, and her presence alone changes spacing.
Her World Cup debut does come with a question mark — one Lawson is eager to see answered.
"The attention that she generally draws in the WNBA ― we'll see if that's the same. I mean, that's another part of FIBA that we'll have to see, since (it's) her first time here, is how people defend her. Is it similar to what we see in the (United) States, or is it a little bit different?"
For now, Team USA is still learning how the international game will treat its newest star.
"We're still in fact-finding mode in some of those areas ... but we're excited about having her on the team, and expecting her to make an impact for us each game."
New generation, same expectations
Clark is not arriving alone. Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron are all set for their first World Cup minutes, a wave of fresh talent that underlines how quickly the American pipeline keeps refilling.
They were on court together Tuesday in Berlin, getting their first feel for the stage. For some, it’s the culmination of years of age-group tournaments. For others, it’s a first taste of senior-level FIBA basketball. For all of them, the standard is non-negotiable.
Lawson knows exactly what it means to wear this jersey at a major tournament. In 2008, she came off the bench in the Olympic gold medal game against Australia and delivered 15 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting, plus three rebounds, two assists and a steal, sealing the title. Those memories color every decision she makes now.
"The opportunity is an amazing one, and as a player that played for the federation ... there's a lot of pride that comes into representing our country and representing all the legends before us that played the game," she said on Aug. 22. "Now to be able to be a head coach and take the helm of the program, there's not a higher honor in our sport."
No Wilson, no Plum — no excuses
The one thing Lawson cannot do is call on two of the program’s most familiar winners. A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum will miss the World Cup, leaving USA without an MVP-caliber anchor and one of its most dangerous guards.
"I didn't have any conversation with A'ja (Wilson) ... I don't have a timeline," Lawson said when asked about speaking with Wilson before the tournament.
She didn’t linger on it.
"We'll miss being around them ... We wish them both a speedy recovery... but we don't have time to be worried about who's not here."
The message to the locker room is blunt: the roster in Berlin is the roster that matters. Chemistry, not what-ifs, will define this run.
Lawson has built her early camp around exactly that idea — getting this particular group to click quickly.
First steps on Berlin’s hardwood
Team USA’s first official practice at the World Cup venue was intentionally gentle.
"We had a good day today ... It was great to get out on the court with them. It was a light day for us today. Just wanted to get a light sweat and get some things installed. Tomorrow, we'll do a little but more."
No heavy legs. No early burnout. Just enough to sharpen habits and start layering in the system.
On the sideline, Lawson cut a familiar figure: the former guard who sees the game two steps ahead, now holding the clipboard instead of the ball. Since taking over at Duke in 2020, she has stacked back-to-back ACC titles and two straight trips to the Elite Eight. The jump to leading the most scrutinized team in women’s basketball is massive, but her connection to the program runs deep enough that it feels like a continuation, not a leap.
The Americans arrive in Berlin with history behind them, challengers in front of them, and a roster that blends superstardom with untested promise. The world has closed the gap. Lawson knows it. Her players know it.
Now the question is simple: in the most demanding World Cup in recent memory, can this new-look USA group still find a way to stay on top?
