FIBA Women’s World Cup Standouts: Non-USA Players to Watch
The FIBA Women’s World Cup has reached the stage where the margins shrink and the stars harden. Six teams are already through to the quarterfinals — USA, Hungary, France, Belgium, Spain, and Germany — and while the American roster reads like an All-Star weekend roll call, the tournament’s pulse has come from everywhere else.
Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Jackie Young, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers: Team USA is stacked, loaded, and expected to dominate. But outside that juggernaut, a different race has taken shape — a battle for who’s been the best of the rest.
Here are the standout non-USA performers so far, ranked strictly on what they’ve done on this World Cup stage.
1. Emma Meesseman, Belgium
This is what it looks like when a WNBA Finals MVP treats a World Cup like her personal stage.
Emma Meesseman has been the brain and the backbone of a Belgium side that stormed through Group Play at 3-0, capped by a statement win over a star-heavy Australia. She’s averaging 18.3 points on 50% shooting, 8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists — numbers that read like a triple-threat manifesto.
She isn’t just scoring. She’s orchestrating. Every possession seems to flow through her hands, every big moment bends to her tempo. Belgium didn’t just advance. It imposed itself, with Meesseman at the center of everything.
2. Gabby Williams, France
France has rolled to 3-0, and Gabby Williams has done a little bit of everything — and a lot of scoring.
She leads the entire World Cup in points per game at 18.7, hitting a blistering 58.8% from the field and 55% from three. Add 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists, and you get the profile of a player who refuses to fade from any phase of the game.
Williams has become France’s barometer. When she attacks, they look like a gold-medal threat. With a quarterfinal looming against the winner of Puerto Rico vs. China, her form might decide how far this French run goes.
3. Iyana Martin, Spain
Every tournament has that moment when a young star stops being a prospect and becomes a problem. For Spain, that moment belongs to Iyana Martin.
The 20-year-old Portland Fire guard has been electric, averaging 17.3 points on ruthless efficiency — 56.2% from the field and 43.8% from deep — along with 3 assists. Her scoring hasn’t just been flashy; it’s been historic.
Martin became the first under-21 player this century to score at least 20 points in back-to-back World Cup games. On a Spanish team rich in experience, it’s the kid who’s carrying the scoring torch.
4. Julie Vanloo, Belgium
If Meesseman is Belgium’s anchor, Julie Vanloo is the spark that keeps pulling defenses apart.
She’s pouring in 16.3 points per game, shooting 51.4% from the field and 44.8% from three, while also handing out 4 assists a night. Those numbers don’t just complement Meesseman — they elevate her.
Belgium’s perfect group record owes as much to Vanloo’s shot-making and poise as it does to its star big. When she gets going from outside, Belgium looks like a team nobody wants to see in a knockout bracket.
5. Marine Johannes, France
Marine Johannes has long been known as a shot-maker with flair. In this tournament, she’s been all that and ruthlessly efficient.
The New York Liberty guard is France’s second-leading scorer at 17 points per game, and she’s doing it while hitting 52% from three. That’s not volume for volume’s sake. That’s precision.
On a French roster that leans on experience, Johannes is one of the veterans tasked with turning promise into medals. Her shooting stretches defenses, opens lanes for Williams, and gives France a punch that can flip a game in a single quarter.
6. Ezi Magbegor, Australia
For Australia, this World Cup has been a test of resilience. For Ezi Magbegor, it’s been a showcase of responsibility.
The Seattle Storm star, serving as captain and leading scorer, is averaging 15.7 points on 59.5% shooting, drilling 42.9% from three and pulling down 6.3 rebounds per game. She’s doing everything you want from a modern big — running the floor, spacing it, and finishing with authority.
With Alanna Smith ruled out for the rest of the tournament due to a lower-leg injury, the load on Magbegor has only grown heavier. So far, she’s carried it like a player ready to define Australia’s campaign.
7. Dorka Juhász, Hungary
Dorka Juhász has had her ups and downs this WNBA season with the Minnesota Lynx. Put her in a Hungary jersey, and the story flips.
Through four games, the 26-year-old has been a force, averaging 15.3 points on 50% shooting and ripping down 11 rebounds per game. That double-double production has powered Hungary into the quarterfinals and turned them from an outsider into a genuine nuisance for any favorite.
Every defensive rebound she grabs feels like the start of something. Every put-back, a reminder of how dominant she can be when she owns the paint.
8. Xu Han, China
China’s hopes of reaching the quarterfinals rest on a simple equation: win or go home. Xu Han is doing everything she can to tilt that equation in their favor.
The New York Liberty center is averaging 17.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, shooting 52% from the field and an eye-catching 54.5% from three. Those are towering numbers, in every sense.
China must beat Puerto Rico to earn a shot at France in the quarters. With Xu playing at this level, that’s not a dream. It’s a very real possibility.
9. Sevgi Uzun, Turkey
Turkey’s 0-3 record doesn’t tell the whole story. Sevgi Uzun does.
The former WNBA guard has been one of the tournament’s most complete playmakers, leading all players in assists at 8.3 per game while also scoring 17.7 points a night. She’s shot 53% from the field and 45% from three, numbers that scream efficiency, not empty stats.
Turkey may be out, but Uzun walked away as one of the World Cup’s most productive guards. On a different team, with a different supporting cast, her tournament could have looked very different.
10. Djeneba N’Diaye, Mali
Mali’s run ended early, but not before it left a mark on this World Cup.
The African side stunned Spain with an 82–73 victory in Group Play, just the second World Cup win in Mali’s history and their first since an overtime thriller in 2010. At the heart of that shock result: Djeneba N’Diaye.
She averaged 17 points on 50% shooting across three games, hitting 45% from three, and dropped 19 points in that famous win over Spain. Mali may be gone from the bracket, but N’Diaye’s performance ensures they won’t be forgotten.
Team USA still looms over this tournament, talent stacked on talent. But as the knockout rounds arrive, it’s these names — Meesseman, Williams, Martin, and the rest — who will decide how much resistance the Americans really face.
