The 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup will tip off Friday in Berlin, Germany, and if Team USA wants to win a fifth consecutive gold medal at the competition, it will have to do something it hasn't done in a decade: win a major tournament without four-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson. The 2016 Olympics were the last time Team USA took home a gold medal at the Olympics or World Cup without Wilson, who has established herself as the best player in the world. While Wilson was initially named to the roster, USA Basketball announced Monday that she and Kelsey Plum would miss the tournament due to health concerns.
While Team USA remains the favorite to win gold later, Wilson's absence will make the task far more difficult. Wilson was Team USA's leading scorer at the 2020 Olympics, 2022 World Cup and 2024 Olympics. She put up 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in a one-point win over France in the gold medal game in Paris.
Team USA has been drawn into Group D for the group stage and will begin its campaign on Friday against China, before facing Italy on Sunday and Czechia (+40000) on Monday. The knockout stage will begin with qualification rounds on Sept. 8 and 9. Team USA will likely qualify straight to the quarterfinals, which are set for Sept. 10, followed by the semifinals on Sept. 12 and the final on Sept. 13.
Ahead of all the action in Berlin, let's take a look at which teams have the best chance of upsetting Team USA. Team USA will face the biggest frontcourt in the world when it meets China in the group-stage opener on Friday. China boasts 7-foot-3 Zhang Ziyu and 6-foot-9 Han Xu, though 6-foot-7 Li Yueru will miss the event due to passport issues.
No other country can match that size, and the Chinese will provide a unique challenge for all opponents. Size is the only advantage China will have on Team USA, however, and that won't be enough over the course of 40 minutes. The host country does not have a rich history in women's basketball, but sisters Satou and Nyara Sabally have put Germany on the map in recent years.
The Germans qualified for the Olympics for the first time in 2024, and were hoping to make some noise this year in their second-ever World Cup appearance. Alas, Satou Sabally will not participate due to ongoing concussion issues, which all but ended those dreams. They still have some WNBA talent in Nyara, Leonie Fiebich, Frieda Bühner and Luisa Geiselsöder, but not enough to seriously challenge Team USA.
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