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Posts published in “International”

USA Basketball Women’s National Team Unveils the 15-Woman Roster for April Training Camp

USA Basketball just announced the 15 players who will participate in a training camp set for April 1-3 in Phoenix.

  1. A’ja Wilson
  2. Azura Stevens
  3. Brittney Sykes
  4. Cameron Brink
  5. JuJu Watkins
  6. Kayla Thornton
  7. Mikayla Blakes
  8. Monique Billings
  9. Napheesa Collier
  10. Paige Bueckers
  11. Rae Burrell
  12. Rickea Jackson
  13. Sabrina Ionescu
  14. Stefanie Dolson
  15. Veronica Burton

2025-28 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach Kara Lawson (Duke University) will lead training camp and will be assisted by court coaches Niele Ivey (Notre Dame), Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries), Shea Ralph (Vanderbilt University), Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury) and Stephanie White (Indiana Fever).

USA Women’s National Team managing director Sue Bird is set to evaluate the current roster pool ahead of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin. This assessment will include players from the recent qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico as the U.S. prepares to pursue its fifth consecutive gold medal from September 4–13.

More Cailin Clark Content from FIBA

Watch the evolution of Caitlin Clark from age 19 to 24. From her early days as a young scorer to becoming a complete floor general, her growth is undeniable.

These highlights show how her shooting, playmaking, and control of the game have reached another level.

At 19, she was already special… but at 24, she’s a superstar. Her range, vision, and confidence have transformed her into one of the best players in the game.

FIBA previously released a 10-mins highlight reel if Caitlin Clark.

FIBA released a 10-minute Caitlin Clark highlight reel

Watch the BEST of Caitlin Clark in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournaments. From deep threes to elite playmaking, Clark controlled the game like a true floor general, showcasing her full offensive arsenal. This marks her first senior FIBA competition, and she’s already making a massive impact.

FIBA also named her as the MVP of the Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament.

Caitlin Clark Named MVP at FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament

Despite starting only in just one game, WNBA Star Caitlin Clark is named as the MVP of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament.

via FIBA;

She posted the best average efficiency for her team (14.6), was the second-best scorer for the USA with 11.6 points (52.9 percent shooting), and recorded a tournament-best 6.4 assists.

You can visit Caitlin Clark’s FIBA Player Profile for more stats.

U.S. Women’s National Team edges pesky Spain to finish 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers undefeated (84 -70)

The U.S. Women’s National Team officially punched their ticket to the 2026 FIBA World Cup with an exclamation point, grinding out a hard-fought 84–70 victory over a resilient Spain. The win over the “pesky” Spaniards in their final qualifying match, the Americans finished the tournament with a flawless 5–0 record, proving they remain the gold standard of women’s international basketball.

From the opening tip, Spain’s signature defensive pressure disrupted the U.S. rhythm, leading to eight lead changes and 3 times that both team tied. Spain was led by the interior duo of Megan Gustafson and Raquel Carrera, who each dropped 15 points to keep the contest within striking distance. However, the depth of the U.S. roster eventually wore down the Spanish frontline, building a 12 point lead by the end of the first half and a 14-point margin at the start of the 4th qtr.

The momentum shifted permanently in the third quarter thanks to the explosive play of Kahleah Copper, who finished as the game’s leading scorer with 20 points. Her ability to attack the rim blew the game open, while veteran Kelsey Plum provided much-needed stability with 18 points, including a critical 11–0 solo run that silenced the Spanish bench.

Defensively, Dearica Hamby was the anchor, contributing 14 points and a game-high three steals that fueled the American transition game. Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark—who was ultimately named Tournament MVP—controlled the tempo with seven assists and a highlight-reel block, ensuring the U.S. maintained its composure during Spain’s final fourth-quarter push.

With this undefeated cycle complete, the U.S. now shifts its focus toward the World Cup in Berlin this September. The team’s coach Nate Tibbetts’ squad heads into the main event not just as favorites, but as a battle-tested unit that has proven it can handle the heat when the stakes are highest.

Checkout the game highlights below:

U.S. Women’s National Team remains undefeated as it overpowers New Zealand in 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifier(101 -46)

The USA Women’s National Team stayed undefeated in the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers after a commanding win over New Zealand in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The victory keeps the U.S. at the top of Group A as they prepare for the World Cup in Berlin this September.

The Americans took control early with a fast-paced offense. Star guards Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers led the scoring, while Angel Reese controlled the boards with dominant rebounding. New Zealand’s Ella Toefaeono and Bec Pizzey played hard in the paint, but they couldn’t overcome the United States’ aggressive defensive pressure.

Coach Kara Lawson relied on her entire roster, showing that the U.S. bench is just as strong as the starters. Although the U.S. had already earned a spot in the World Cup by winning Olympic gold in 2024, this game proved their younger players are ready for the international stage. For New Zealand, the matchup provided valuable experience against the world’s best team.

U.S. Women’s National Team will face Spain on the 17th March, for their final game for the qualifier, while New Zealand will look to bounce back against the Puerto Ricans.

U.S. Women’s National Team routs Italy’s National Team to remain undefeated at the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Puerto Rico

The U.S. Women’s National Team continued its dominant run at the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Puerto Rico, defeating Italy 93–59. Despite Italy’s undefeated start to the tournament, they were no match for the Americans’ clinical shooting and suffocating defensive pressure.

The U.S. shot a staggering 52.4% from beyond the arc, Kahleah Copper lead the Americans with 15 points and Chelsea Gray’s masterful playmaking (8 assists). Young stars Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers wowed the crowd in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 points each to seal the victory.

Defensively, the Americans held Italy to just 37.3% shooting, neutralizing threats like Cecilia Zandalasini. While the U.S. has already secured a World Cup berth as AmeriCup champions, this 3–0 start in San Juan, Puerto Rico, reinforces their status as global dominance in Women’s basketball. Italy (2–1) now looks to rebound against Spain to secure their spot in Berlin, while the Women’s USA Team will face New Zealand.

You can watch the game high lights below;

USA Women’s National Team Dominate Puerto Rico in 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers

The USA Women’s National Team continued their dominant run in the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, defeating host nation Puerto Rico 91–48 in San Juan. Playing before a sold-out crowd at “El Choli,” the Americans never trailed, establishing a commanding 46–19 lead by halftime.

Paige Bueckers led the offensive charge with 16 points, while Angel Reese anchored the interior, recording a double-double with 10 points and a record-breaking 13 rebounds. After a double-double game, Caitlin Clark had 8 points and 2 assists with 18:37 playing time.

Despite a gritty defensive effort from Puerto Rico, the USA’s depth and size proved overwhelming. This victory improves Team USA to 2–0 in the tournament as they solidify their path toward the 2026 World Cup.

Here are some game highlights;

Paige Bueckers was named as the Player of the Game

The American’s next game will be on the 15th March against Italy.

USA Women’s National Team dismantles Senegal in their first game of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.

The USA Women’s National Team dominated Senegal with a 110-46 victory to open the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Rhyne Howard led with 21 points, while Caitlin Clark impressed in her senior debut with 17 points and 12 assists, securing Kara Lawson’s first win as head coach.

This is basically the 1992 Dream Team. It’s not a matter of whether they’ll win, but by how much. Their next opponent is Puerto Rico, who will have home-court advantage, but I believe it will be much like the Senegal game. The real test will be their last three games: Italy, New Zealand, and Spain.

Here are some of the game highlights;

USA Women’s National Team: 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Schedule

The upcoming 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament will be broadcast by TNT after the network acquired the exclusive U.S. English language broadcast rights to World-Class FIBA Men’s and Women’s Tournaments.

While the Americans have technically already qualified for the World Cup, these matchups against international powerhouses like Spain and Italy serve as a high-stakes proving ground for a squad looking to refine its chemistry before heading to Germany this September 2026.

Below is the full schedule

Date Opponent Time (ET) TV / Streaming
Wed, March 11 Senegal 5:00 PM TruTV / Max
Thu, March 12 Puerto Rico 8:00 PM TruTV / Max
Sat, March 14 Italy 5:00 PM TruTV / Max
Sun, March 15 New Zealand 2:00 PM TruTV / Max
Tue, March 17 Spain 5:00 PM TNT / Max

Aliyah Boston and Sonia Citron out of U.S. roster for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament

Both Aliyah Boston (Indian Fever) and Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics) are out of U.S. roster for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament. They will be replaced by Monique Billings (Golden State Valkyries) and Rae Burrell (Los Angeles Sparks).

Via ESPN;

The pair will replace Aliyah Boston and Sonia Citron, who are no longer able to compete in the tournament that will take place in San Juan. Boston missed the Unrivaled playoffs with what was described as a right lower extremity injury. Citron missed the end of the regular season of Unrivaled with the same injury designation as Boston.

Billings was part of the 2017 USA under-23 national team that was undefeated at the Four Nations Tournament. Burrell will be making her U.S. competitive debut.

Here’s the new 12 player roster for 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament;

  1. Monique Billings
  2. Paige Bueckers
  3. Rae Burrell
  4. Caitlin Clark
  5. Kahleah Copper
  6. Chelsea Gray
  7. Dearica Hamby
  8. Rhyne Howard
  9. Kiki Iriafen
  10. Kelsey Plum
  11. Angel Reese
  12. Jackie Young

2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament will be broadcast by TNT Sports and you can checkout the full schedule here.

USA Basketball Announces Official Roster for 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament this March in Puerto Rico

USA Basketball has officially announced the roster for 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament which will be held in Puerto Rico, from March 11-17, 2026.

Here’s the list of the 12 player roster;

  1. Aliyah Boston
  2. Paige Bueckers
  3. Sonia Citron
  4. Caitlin Clark
  5. Kahleah Copper
  6. Chelsea Gray
  7. Dearica Hamby
  8. Rhyne Howard
  9. Kiki Iriafen
  10. Kelsey Plum
  11. Angel Reese
  12. Jackie Young

The roster is a mix of Olympic champions and rising stars, led by 2024 gold medalists Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young, alongside 3×3 bronze winners Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard. While veteran Aliyah Boston makes her anticipated return, the roster also features the official senior national team debuts of Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron, Caitlin Clark, Kiki Iriafen, and Angel Reese.

Three-time Olympic and World champion Breanna Stewart will also join the team in Miami for a pre-competition training camp, set for March 7-8.

The coaching staff will be lead by 2025-28 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach Kara Lawson (Duke University) with assistant coaches Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries), Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury) and Stephanie White (Indiana Fever). The 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from March 11-17, 2026.

The U.S. Women’s team play games against Senegal, Puerto Rico, Italy, New Zealand, and Spain.

Game Schedule

  • March 11: vs. Senegal
  • March 12: vs. Puerto Rico
  • March 14: vs. Italy
  • March 15: vs. New Zealand
  • March 17: vs. Spain

Australia Edges China to Win 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, Completes Historic Three-Peat!

Australia is once again the FIBA Asia Cup champion after beating China in a down-to-the-wire game last Sunday night at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

After trailing by as many as 15 points in the first half, Australia mounted a comeback led by Xavier Cooks, who finished with 30 points and 9 rebounds. Jaylin Galloway added 23 points and William Hickey contributed 15, including the go-ahead basket late in the fourth quarter.

A missed three-point attempt by China’s Mingxuan Hu at the buzzer sealed the victory for Australia. With the win, the Boomers became just the second team in FIBA Asia Cup history to achieve a “three-peat” and extended their undefeated streak in the tournament to 18 games.

Full Game Highlights

Australia remain unbeaten as they rout Gilas Pilipinas (84 – 60)

After the miraculous win against Saudi Arabia, I expected that Gilas would at least give the Australian team a hard time. Instead, Australia gave Gilas a basketball clinic on both offense and defense.

Just look at the game stats and boxscore; five Australian players scored in double digits, while only three did for Gilas: Kevin Quiambao (16 points), Justin Brownlee (13 points), and AJ Edu (13 points).

Full Game Highlights

Australia advances to the semifinals, where they await their next opponent. For Gilas, this is the end of the road until the next FIBA games.

Gilas Advances to FIBA Asia Cup Quarterfinals with Thrilling Win Over Saudi Arabia

Gilas Pilipinas secured a spot in the FIBA Asia Cup quarterfinals with a thrilling 95-88 overtime victory against host Saudi Arabia. The game was a tense affair, with Gilas needing a clutch three-pointer from Justin Brownlee in the final seconds of regulation to force the extra period.

Here’s a look back at the clutch three-pointer from Justin Brownlee.

Brownlee was the hero of the night, finishing with a game-high 29 points. Young guns Kevin Quiambao and AJ Edu also stepped up, scoring 17 points each and hitting key shots in overtime to seal the win. The victory was a hard-fought one, spoiling a stellar 33-point performance by Saudi Arabia’s Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and 34 points by Mohammed Alsuwailem.

Game High Lights

Gilas will now face two-time defending champion Australia in the quarterfinals this Wednesday at 2:00 in the afternoon, local time.

Source: FIBA

Gilas Pilipinas Stunned by Chinese Taipei in FIBA Asia Cup Opener in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

In a stunning turn of events at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Gilas Pilipinas suffered a disappointing 95-87 loss to Chinese Taipei in their opening game. The Philippine national team was on the back foot from the start, trailing by as much as 17 points in the first quarter and struggling to contain a hot-shooting Chinese Taipei squad.

Despite a valiant comeback effort, Gilas couldn’t overcome the early deficit. Justin Brownlee led the charge with 19 points before fouling out in the final minutes, a major blow to the team’s rally. Kevin Quiambao provided a spark off the bench with 17 points, while Scottie Thompson and Dwight Ramos added 12 points apiece, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win. Chinese Taipei’s Chen Ying-Chun was the star of the show, erupting for a game-high 34 points, including six triples, to seal the victory. The loss puts Gilas in a difficult position as they now face a must-win situation against New Zealand in their next match.

Full Game High Lights: