STWF Sports| ARLINGTON, Texas| September 13, 2026 — Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers added another major accomplishment to her young professional career Sunday, helping Team USA capture the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup championship with a 97-79 victory over France in Berlin, Germany.
The gold medal came in Bueckers’ first appearance for the United States at a major senior international tournament, including the World Cup or Olympic Games. Dallas Wings head coach Jose Fernandez also represented the organization on the international stage, serving as a scout coach for Team USA.
The Americans completed the tournament with a perfect 6-0 record and claimed their fifth consecutive World Cup championship. The title was the 12th in program history.
Paige Bueckers’ Impact on Team USA’s Success
Bueckers provided efficient production throughout the tournament, averaging 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range. Her perimeter shooting and defensive activity gave Team USA another dependable option within a deep rotation.
She opened the tournament with one of her best performances, scoring 14 points with four assists and two steals in a 94-61 win over China. Bueckers followed with a strong all-around effort against Italy, contributing seven points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in a narrow 55-52 victory.
Her playmaking stood out again in a 105-64 win over Czechia, where she finished with 10 points and five assists. In the quarterfinals against Hungary, Bueckers added seven points, three assists and a steal as the United States rolled to a 108-56 victory.
She then chipped in six points and three rebounds in the semifinal win over Spain before playing limited minutes in the championship game against France.
Bueckers was not the only Wings player competing on the international stage.
Costanza Verona represented Italy and delivered one of the most notable individual performances of the tournament in her team’s quarterfinal qualifier against Australia. Verona scored 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting while adding three rebounds and three assists in Italy’s 82-80 loss.
Across four games, Verona averaged 9.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
Alanna Smith also appeared for Australia, recording 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 12 minutes during a 70-54 victory over Puerto Rico. She did not appear in Australia’s remaining tournament games.
With international play complete, attention now shifts back to the WNBA regular season.
Dallas returns from the World Cup break with a 24-16 record and has already secured a playoff berth. The Wings are tied for sixth place with the New York Liberty and Washington Mystics and sit two games behind Atlanta and Indiana, both 26-14, in the race for fourth place.
Each team has four regular-season games remaining, making every result critical in determining postseason seeding.
The Wings resume play Thursday, Sept. 17, when they host the Los Angeles Sparks at 7 p.m. CT for the organization’s annual Celebración Latina night.
The matchup will be nationally televised on USA Network and carried locally in the Dallas-Fort Worth market on KFAA 29.
For Dallas, the return of Bueckers and Fernandez adds championship experience and momentum at an ideal time. With a postseason berth already secured, the Wings now turn their focus toward climbing the standings and improving their playoff position during the final week of the regular season.
