Arlington, Texas (Feb. 11, 2026) — USA Basketball announced Tuesday the 12-player roster and coaching staff that will represent the United States at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament, set for March 11–17 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The selection carries local significance in North Texas, as Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers earned a spot on the roster, while Wings head coach Jose Fernandez was named a scout coach.
Although the United States has already secured qualification for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin by winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, the San Juan event provides a competitive proving ground for a roster that blends established champions with the next generation of stars. The six-team round-robin tournament will test depth, versatility, and chemistry as the program continues to evaluate personnel ahead of the World Cup later this year.
Bueckers headlines a group of five players making their senior national team competitive debuts, joined by Sonia Citron, Caitlin Clark, Kiki Iriafen, and Angel Reese. For Bueckers, the selection marks another milestone in a rapidly ascending professional career and places her alongside some of the most decorated players in the women’s game. Her inclusion reflects USA Basketball’s continued emphasis on integrating elite young talent into the senior pipeline.
Veteran leadership anchors the roster. Olympic gold medalists Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young bring championship experience from the 2024 Paris Games, while Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard add versatility after earning bronze in 3×3 competition in Paris. Aliyah Boston, a mainstay in USA Basketball programs at both the junior and senior levels, returns to international play for the first time since the 2024 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Antwerp.
The roster’s collective résumé underscores the program’s depth. Boston, Howard, and Reese have competed in the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, while Boston, Bueckers, Citron, Clark, and Howard each own gold medals from various junior international competitions. Several players also bring extensive 3×3 experience, including Plum and Young, both Olympic gold medalists in the discipline, along with Howard and Hamby. Bueckers and Boston have represented the United States in junior 3×3 competitions, adding another layer of versatility to the squad.
Fernandez, entering his first season as head coach of the Dallas Wings, will serve as a scout coach alongside Tia Jackson of Duke University. Fernandez brings prior international success, having won two gold medals with USA Basketball’s Women’s Junior National Team program. Jackson previously served in the scout coach role at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, providing continuity within the staff.
Three-time Olympic and World Cup champion Breanna Stewart will join the team in Miami for a pre-competition training camp scheduled for March 7–8, offering additional leadership before competition begins. The team will be led in San Juan by 2025–28 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach Kara Lawson, with assistant coaches Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries), Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury), and Stephanie White (Indiana Fever). Lawson will return to Duke to prepare for the NCAA Tournament prior to the event’s conclusion, with an assistant coach assuming first-chair duties for the remaining games.
The United States opens play March 11 against Senegal, followed by matchups with Puerto Rico, Italy, New Zealand, and Spain. Historically, the Americans have dominated each opponent, including a 101–39 win over Senegal at the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament and a 101–72 victory over Spain at the 2016 Olympic Games.
USA Basketball managing director Sue Bird selected the roster and will continue evaluating players ahead of final World Cup selections. The United States will seek its fifth consecutive World Cup gold medal and 12th overall when the tournament tips off Sept. 4–13 in Berlin, with San Juan serving as the next step in that pursuit.
