Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers to make Team USA basketball senior debuts in March
Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers will become teammates next month when the highly touted trio makes their senior national team debut with Team USA. Clark, Reese and Bueckers were all part of the U.S. team for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament. The roster was announced on Wednesday and the competition will take place in Puerto Rico from March 11-17.
Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, who were named WNBA All-Stars during their rookie season in 2025, were also named to the team, along with numerous 2024 Olympic gold medalists. Notably, Breanna Stewart will attend training camp March 7-8, but will not participate in the tournament.
“They really bring something new to our sport, a kind of enthusiasm, but also fan communities that follow them everywhere they go. And that’s great. We have a great generation of very talented young players coming in, and I can’t wait to work with them,” Team USA head coach Kara Lawson said of Clark, Reese and Bueckers last November.
“It will be good to have them be able to play with Team USA this time and see how they fit in with everyone else, because there is already so much talent.”
It will also be the first time Lawson, named in September to lead the national team through to 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 Olympic Games in Paris and the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Australia. Lawson, who also coaches the Duke women’s basketball team, will leave 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 leaves.
Here’s a look at the full list.
Team USA roster for World Cup qualifying
Team USA schedule
- March 11 vs. Senegal, 3 p.m. ET
- March 12 vs. Puerto Rico, 6 p.m. ET
- March 14 vs. Italy, 3 p.m. ET
- March 15 vs. New Zealand, noon ET
- March 17 vs. Spain, 3 p.m. ET
All round robin matches will take place at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan. Viewing information will be announced later.
What’s at stake for Team USA?
Team USA has already qualified for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup, which will take place in Germany from September 4-13, by winning the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup last summer.
Even if the Americans don’t have to worry about their results, there’s still a lot at stake for individual players hoping to fly to Berlin in September. The WNBA will pause its season in early September to allow players to participate in the event.
This is a period of transition 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, and there was not a single player under 26. Diana Taurasi has since retired, while Brittney Griner, Alyssa Thomas, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd are all approaching their mid-30s.
Players like Clark – a controversial snub for the 2024 Olympic team – Bueckers, Boston, Reese, Citron, Iriafen and Howard will all have the opportunity to impress Lawson in Puerto Rico next month and prove they deserve to be a part of the national team roster in the future.
