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U.S. women's basketball team prepares for FIBA World Cup with condensed schedule
With half the 12-player roster making tournament debuts, the American squad faces fewer preliminary games to establish chemistry in Berlin.
The short version
- The U.S. women's national basketball team is training in Berlin ahead of its FIBA World Cup opener against China on Friday.
- Six of the twelve players on the roster, including newcomers Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers, are making their World Cup debuts.
- A revised tournament format expands the field to 16 teams and cuts preliminary group games from five to three, reducing on-court preparation time.
- The WNBA has instituted a two-week midseason pause to accommodate the international tournament.
Key facts
- The FIBA women's World Cup begins in Berlin on Friday, with the U.S. facing China in its opening game.[Associated Press]
- The U.S. roster includes newcomers Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers, with half of the 12-player roster playing in their first World Cup.[Associated Press]
- The tournament field expanded from 12 to 16 teams, reducing each nation's preliminary round schedule from five games to three.[Associated Press]
- The United States' group stage opponents in Berlin are China, the Czech Republic, and Italy.[Associated Press]
- The WNBA paused its regular season for two weeks to allow players to participate in the international tournament.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- How effectively the newly assembled roster will establish on-court chemistry and player rotations under the compressed preliminary schedule remains to be seen.[Associated Press]