Aliyah Boston and Sonia Citron will no longer suit up for Team USA in the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament, which will take place in Puerto Rico from March 11-17. Boston and Citron, who were injured during Unrivaled, have been replaced by Monique Billings and Rae Burrell.
This month's qualifying tournament will, however, still serve as the senior national team debut for Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, who will team up to lead the Americans in San Juan alongside numerous 2024 Olympic gold medalists, including Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.
"They're really bringing something new to our sport, a kind of excitement, but also fan communities that follow them everywhere they go. And that's great. We have a great generation of young, very talented players coming up, and I'm looking forward to working with them," Team USA head coach Kara Lawson said of Clark, Reese and Bueckers back in November.
"It will be good to have them in a position to play with Team USA this time and see how they gel with everyone, since there's already so much talent."
This will also be the first time that Lawson, who was appointed in September to lead the national team through the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, will take charge of a competitive event. She was previously an assistant coach for Team USA during the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup in Australia. Lawson, who also coaches Duke's women's basketball team, will depart at some point during the event to return to Raleigh to prepare for the NCAA Tournament.
Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries), Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury) and Stephanie White (Indiana Fever) have all been named assistant coaches. One of them will take over for the remaining games after Lawson departs.
Here's a look at the full roster.
Team USA roster for World Cup Qualifying
- March 11 vs. Senegal, 3 p.m. ET -- tru TV / HBO Max
- March 12 vs. Puerto Rico, 6 p.m. ET -- tru TV / HBO Max
- March 14 vs. Italy, 3 p.m. ET -- tru TV / HBO Max
- March 15 vs. New Zealand, Noon ET -- tru TV / HBO Max
- March 17 vs. Spain, 3 p.m. ET -- TNT / HBO Max
All games in the round-robin tournament will take place at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan.
The March 17 matchup against Spain is the key game to watch. The Spainards are coming off a silver medal in last summer's EuroBasket competition, and both Awa Fam and Iyana Martín have been named to the roster. Both of them are potential first-round picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft, and Fam may go No. 1 overall to the Wings, which would see her become Bueckers' teammate.
What's at stake for Team USA?
Team USA has already qualified for the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup, which will take place Germany from Sept. 4-13, by winning the FIBA Women's AmeriCup last summer.
Even though the Americans do not need to worry about their results, there's still plenty at stake for the individual players hoping to be on the plane to Berlin in September. The WNBA will pause its season in early September to allow players to compete in the event.
This is a transitional period for the senior national team, which has won gold at the last eight Olympics and the last four World Cups. The average age of the 2024 Olympic team was over 30 years old, and there wasn't a single player younger than 26. Diana Taurasi has since retired, while the likes of Brittney Griner, Alyssa Thomas, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd are all approaching their mid-30s.
The likes of Clark -- a controversial snub from the 2024 Olympic team -- Bueckers, Reese, Iriafen and Howard will all have a chance to impress Lawson in Puerto Rico next month and prove that they deserve to be part of the national team set-up moving forward.
