The FIBA World Cup suggestions off on Friday with a 16-team discipline. Greater than 50 WNBA gamers, who’re on a two-week break from the league, will participate within the competitors as the US seeks its fifth consecutive title, and 15 different federations try and dethrone the champs.

Right here’s what to know as play begins:

What’s on the road for the USA?

It’s laborious to overstate the Individuals’ dominance in worldwide competitors. For the reason that creation of the WNBA, Staff USA is undefeated within the Olympics — solely three wins have come by single digits since 1996 — and it has misplaced solely as soon as on the earth championships, which led to a third-place end in 2006. The Individuals have cleaned up on the 4 world championships since, with double-figure victories in each sport however one throughout that stretch.

Even with out A’ja Wilson on this yr’s roster, Staff USA nonetheless has the most effective particular person participant within the match (whether or not you take into account that to be Breanna Stewart, Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier or another person, it’s an American) and the most effective assortment of expertise. It will be a substantial upset for the Individuals to be crushed. 4 of Staff USA’s closest contests over the past 20 years, together with the one loss, got here to Russia, however that program has fallen off. Since its decline, no true basketball rival has emerged for the US.

USA Basketball closely values worldwide tournaments, from the youth stage onward. It’s why the WNBA, which is the world’s premier basketball league, would take a break proper earlier than the postseason to accommodate the World Cup and why the most effective gamers on this league are eschewing a break of their very own to compete. Success on the worldwide stage issues.

How will the younger American roster look?

For the entire ability Staff USA brings to the desk, it misplaced a whole lot of expertise when Wilson (Las Vegas Aces) and Kelsey Plum (Phoenix Mercury) opted out of the match because of accidents. The pair have every competed in two Olympics and two World Cups, and Wilson has been the Individuals’ main scorer on the final three main worldwide competitions.

With out that duo, Staff USA is left with three gamers with World Cup expertise; Breanna Stewart is suiting up for the fourth time, whereas Chelsea Grey and Kahleah Copper each have been on the 2022 roster. Solely 5 gamers have represented the U.S. in five-on-five at a senior match (Rhyne Howard performed 3×3 on the final Olympics). The group is so inexperienced that 4 gamers haven’t even appeared in a WNBA playoff sport.

Even the teaching workers is slightly inexperienced on the worldwide stage. Duke coach Kara Lawson has come up via USA Basketball. She coached the inaugural 3×3 group in Tokyo, was an assistant over the past cycle below Cheryl Reeve and gained the AmeriCup in 2025 with a roster of school gamers. However that is the primary rodeo for the assistants: Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White, Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts and Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase. It is going to be attention-grabbing to see how these coaches reply to sport stress; none has been the top coach of a WNBA or NCAA champion.

Throughout the qualifying match, the U.S. tended to begin its veterans despite the fact that the minutes have been comparatively evenly distributed. Though Clark began one sport, she performed sufficient to earn MVP of the occasion. Lawson is anticipated to select a extra skilled beginning 5 — one thing that features Stewart, Grey and Copper plus another guard and a middle.

This is a chance for Stewart to say herself as a frontrunner. She has extra worldwide expertise than simply about all of her teammates mixed, and she or he was the MVP of this match in 2018. Stewart and Wilson have been the co-stewards of this period of USA Basketball, however the New York Liberty famous person is the one one in Berlin.

What different international locations are in medal rivalry?

Australia has been probably the most constantly aggressive group in worldwide competitions over the previous 20 years, and it completed third within the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics. The Opals have eight WNBA gamers, six of whom are at present significant rotation gamers: Alanna Smith (Dallas Wings), Rebecca Allen (Liberty), Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm), Jade Melbourne (Storm), Isobel Borlase (Atlanta Dream) and Stephanie Talbot (Aces). What Australia is lacking is a singular offensive engine; it’s unclear how the Opals can manufacture high quality offense within the half court docket, even when their defensive upside is pretty much as good as anybody within the match.

Belgium has been the category of the European groups, winners of the final two EuroBasket competitions. Ahead Emma Meesseman, the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP who has performed solely two full WNBA seasons since, all the time brings it for her nationwide group. Her ability within the publish as a passing hub and a scorer is near-unmatched, and she or he is flanked by two dynamic guards in Julie Allemand (Toronto Tempo) and Julie Vanloo, who’re prepared creators and attackers.

Mike Thibault is a veteran coach (the second-winningest in WNBA historical past) who frolicked with Meesseman on the Washington Mystics and has been an assistant on the Olympics. The Belgians have one thing of an it issue, too — they gained the 2025 European championship in regulation regardless of trailing Spain by 12 with 2:42 to play.

Is France the principle challenger to Staff USA?

One caveat to Belgium’s 2025 victory was that the French basically punted on the match. Gabby Williams, Marine Johannès and Dominique Malonga all stayed with their WNBA groups as a substitute of reporting. The final time France had a full roster was on the Paris Olympics 2024, when the house group was one foot away from taking Staff USA to additional time within the gold-medal sport.

France has a powerful assortment of perimeter expertise. Amongst Williams (Valkyries), Carla Leite (Portland Fireplace) and Pauline Astier (Liberty), a number of guards can blow by their preliminary defender and break down a protection. Leite is one week faraway from giving Angel Reese and Howard suits in Atlanta, whereas Astier has tormented the Fever duo of Clark and Aliyah Boston. It is a guard group that may demand that the U.S. defend on a string, which is a tough factor for a 12-player roster that hasn’t ever performed collectively. They’re principally good defenders, too. A backcourt of Williams and Leïla Lacan could cause discomfort for even the American stars.

The French have nice spacing all through their lineup. Johannès and Janelle Salaün (Valkyries) are among the most prepared shooters on the earth, and their unorthodox shot releases maintain good protection from deterring them. Salaün relishes a contest on her 3-pointer and shoots higher with a defender in her face.

France isn’t as imposing within the frontcourt, although Salaün and Malonga are a devastating beginning combo with the previous’s capturing and the latter’s rim-running. Malonga can be one of many higher paint protectors in the whole match. Staff USA might want to have success from past the arc to interrupt France’s protection.

What different groups ought to we control?

Nigeria has quietly given Staff USA hassle in latest competitions. It misplaced by 9 to the Individuals within the 2020 Olympics group stage and by 14 within the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympics. Rena Wakama, a present Unmatched head coach and Chicago Sky assistant, has accomplished a improbable job establishing a group tradition for Nigeria. The group strikes the ball properly, performs laborious and makes use of its athleticism successfully.

China is the largest group within the match, although it took a large hit when 6-foot-7 Li Yueru (Wings) was dominated out because of passport points. Nonetheless, along with 6-11 Han Xu (Liberty), control 7-3 Zhang Ziyu. The 19-year-old middle is eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft and will enhance her inventory with a powerful exhibiting in Berlin. Sadly, the much less stated about China’s guards, the higher; their fundamental job is to get the ball previous half court docket with out turning it over after which feed the bigs.

Spain has probably the most lively WNBA gamers (5) amongst remaining groups, together with Storm rookie Awa Fam. An particularly intriguing participant to observe is Iyana Martín, the Fireplace’s first-round choose, who will probably be coming stateside subsequent season. Martín has an exceptional monitor file at junior competitions, together with successful MVP of the 2023 U-19 World Cup when Spain misplaced within the finals’ additional time to the U.S. That group is all grown up, and that is now Martín’s first foray on the senior stage, the place she has simply the correct quantity of aptitude and playmaking verve to enrich the rock-solid manufacturing of Megan DiLeo (Fireplace) within the paint.

Awa Fam, a rookie with the Seattle Storm, can have a serious affect on serving to Spain make a run. (Geoff Stellfox / Getty Photos)

How can we watch the match?

Each Staff USA sport will probably be on TNT or truTV, and the whole match may be streamed on HBO Max.

Which WNBA gamers are competing?