Breaking Down The 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Team USA Roster

We break down Team USA’s projected 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup roster and ask the real question: does it make the best basketball team, or just the biggest list of names. We walk through the coaching staff, the 12-player fit, and the snubs that could change everything depending on what roles you value most.  

• Berlin World Cup dates and what international play demands  
• Why roster building is about roles, not just “best 12”  
• Coaching staff picks and what they signal stylistically  
• The superstar core with A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier  
• Caitlin Clark’s numbers, turnovers, and the role question  
• Paige Bueckers and other young pieces as future-proofing  
• Chelsea Gray as the steady closer and table-setter  
• Snub cases for Olivia Miles, Sabrina Ionescu, Kelsey Mitchell  
• Frontcourt debates with Alyssa Thomas, Nneka Ogwumike, Shakira Austin, Kiki Iriafen  
• The hard part of snub talk: who you actually take off?

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Transcript

Welcome And The Big Question

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's up, everybody? It's your favorite show's favorite show, get a bucket. I'm your host, Trey, as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Today we're gonna talk about the WNBA FIVA 2026 Team Roster. But before we do that, please make sure to hit that like and subscribe button. Comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show. Trying to get the ratings up a little bit, you know, just a little bit. And if you wonder where you heard this before, that's because you've been listening with me Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. So I greatly appreciate your support. Now, did Team USA get the 2026 World Cup roster right? Let's talk about

Berlin World Cup Context

SPEAKER_00 0:30

it. So, currently, point in time, right? The uh FIBA World Cup will be taking place September 4th through September 13th in Berlin, Germany. So I may want to, you know what I'm saying? I may want to try to slide. Now it's a little late. I ain't got I'm sure them ticket prices are a little high. And them plane tickets is probably dumb stupid too. But I mean, at least watch it on television. Like I hope you all should. So make sure to please like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show, as well as the WNBA. You know what I'm saying? They they nice too. But let's talk about the uh the coaching staff and the roster for this upcoming season. Because you know how the ladies usually do. They usually get a bucket as well as a championship. So we're gonna start with the coaching staff, then the roster, then talk about the roster, maybe some snubs, and then conclude with, you know, what y'all thought.

Coaching Staff Breakdown

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But the coaching staff. We got head coach Kara Lawson out of Duke University. Y'all know how we do. Hey, hey, hey, I see you out there, Kara. But she's also a former player as well, too. Keep that in mind. So that's why it's good to have her as a head coach. Assistant coach, Natalie Nakasi. And I apologize if I messed up anybody's name to be clear. But from the Golden State Valkyries, which, if y'all don't know, they currently, at least point in time, the way I'm recording this, they're number two in the seasons during their second season. This is after the postseason or all-star break. So again, love that. Assistant coach, Nate Tibbetts out of Phoenix Mercury. Nate has had some history here, so you know, cool kudos to him. Assistant coach, Stephanie White from the Indiana Fever. You gotta expect that's got a little Caitlin Clark ties. That's okay. The scout coach, Jose Fernandez from the Dallas Wings. Uh, you gotta assume that's little Paige Becker ties. You know what I'm saying? Scout coach again, Tia Jackson out of Duke University. Ooh. So the coaching staff, it don't sound that bad. Uh, it sounds pretty smooth, actually, for a for real. Nate Tibbs again, Phoenix Mercury aren't doing the best, but I can't quite put that on on management as much. You know, I I guess maybe I could too. Damn, maybe I could. But Nate's okay. Nate's okay again from a history perspective. Go to Valkyrie, they're looking like they'd be doing anything. So Natalie's moving, of course. Kara Lawson be doing her thing at Duke. So the coaching staff looks pretty

Roster Reveal And Roles

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good. The roster. We got as follows. Aaliyah Balston, because there's 12 people on the team, ladies and gentlemen. Aaliyah Balston, Paige Beckers, Caitlin Clark, Nafisa Collier, Khalia Copper, Chelsea Gray, Ryan Howard, Kelsey Plum, Angel Reese, Brianna Stewart, Asia Wilson, and Jackie Young. Off top. The talent is ridiculous. It's crazy work, okay? And again, I ask, did Team USA get the 2026 World Cup roster correct? Because remember, ladies and gentlemen, this is not the 12 best players in the WNBA. It's not. Like we we can talk about ITES, we can talk about this WNBA season specifically. This does not encompass the 12 best players. But remember, we're trying to build a team, like a basketball team where everybody has roles and responsibilities, okay? Same thing with the NBA team. Like the the world, like the World Cup team for the men's side. We do the same thing there for them too. So again, we're trying to build a basketball team. So the superstars on the squad, right? We know that those are obvious reasons. You got Asia Wilson, Brianna Stewart, and Fisa Collier. Like when we're talking about Asia, she's leading the league in points per game at 26. She's third in rebounding, first in blocks. Like, you gotta include her, right? She's a superstar. Brianna Stewart, one of the gang's most versatile players. She's easily a bucket getter. Same with Asia, too, don't get me wrong. But Brianna Stewart can be a bucket, good defender as well, too, good playmaker, very versatile. Same thing with Nafisa Kali. Again, remember her debut, she dropped like what, 20-something points? And her debut this season, and she it taken a little time for. So, like when we're talking about Nafisa, we also got versatility too from a defense perspective. Fairly efficient. All three ladies are pretty efficient, actually. So you got to include them off top. The big three in the WNBA. These are the faces of the WNBA, ladies and gentlemen. They got to be on the team for sure. Here's where you could get a little controversial, but at the same time, again, I mentioned this is not the 12 best players in the WNBA. But we got Caitlin Clark on the squad, right? From a fan perspective, it may be cool to encompass her on the team. From a statistical perspective, she's averaging 21 points, 8 assists during the WNBA season. Now she's also giving us five turnovers and not as efficient. So I'm very curious what role they're going to be having Caitlin play on this team. Because decision-making, you know, we got to improve that even her coach said that. But on this team, hey, maybe the maybe the turnovers cut down substantially because you have a better collection of players surrounding her. I'm not trying, this is not a jab at the fever. Like, we these are all WNBA caliber women on this team. So I don't think her whole roster contains that. So let's keep that in mind too. Let's note that and see how it goes. Because she is a good talent, to be clear. But again, what role would she have on this squad? We also got Paige Beckhurst. That's another young creator on the team. She's leading the league in fourth quarter points this season as a sophomore. That's pretty spectacular, right? A bucket getter, fairly efficient. And again, we're thinking of with her and Caitlin, we're thinking of the future for this team. So you got to get them ingratiated in the offense. You got to get them ingratiated in the machine a little bit, ladies and gentlemen. So that's why, don't get me wrong, statistically, they have been doing their thing too. They've been producing. But you got to think about for the future. That's the reason why you got them. Same thing with Ryan Howard to a degree. You get a little size from Ryan Howard, right? You get good defense. I believe she might even still be leading the league in steals right now. And you contain shooting. Can Ryan be a little streaky sometimes? Sure. But let's keep in mind, though, she's been streaky because maybe she's the first option on her team. So she gets a lot of pressure, right? On this team, she might not be the first option. So she may have an open shot. And she's a good shooter. So I'd love to see Ryan Howard on this team for sure, especially in this role. Same thing with Khalia Copper. Fifth in the WNBA in scoring. She's a slasher. You mean to tell me we ain't got some playmakers up here who can feed her the ball? Like I think Kalia Copper's going to do well on this team. Plus, she can defend as well, too. So we got to add some versatility, and you got to remember she's a finals MVP, ladies and gentlemen. So it's not like she's scared of the moment. Same thing with Aaliyah Boston and Angel Reese. When I talked about Caitlin Clark and Paige Beckers, Aaliyah Balston, Angel Reese, we're thinking about the future. People may have a gripe with Angel on, like in terms of her play. But she's been playing pretty well this season. Has she had some duds? Yes, she has. But she can still get you a double-double. That effort's always going to be there. The defense has improved. The offense has improved. So Angel Reese has improved and off the court, too. You're hearing less about her, especially at least I have. Maybe y'all focusing on some things that I haven't seen. But Angel Reese has been producing pretty well on and off the field. And then Leah Boston, ever since she's came into the league, she's been making headway. So you gotta remember Leah Boston's 6'5. She can stretch the floor out a little bit. She can play make a little bit. She can get a bucket. She can get a rebound. She can defend. She can do a lot of stuff. Again, we're thinking of the future for this team, ladies and gentlemen. So that's the reason why you got to have them up there. Like I said, we know why the All-Stars are there. Hell, even Jackie Young is on the field, is on the floor, right? Like we understand why Jackie is up there. She can guard anybody, at least from the one through four category. And she can still get you a bucket plus some assists. Elite level defense, might I add, too. Again, I love it. It's another playmaker. It's another complete player.

Snubs That Spark Debate

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Ladies and gentlemen, do we have any snubs? Because again, I told y'all the roster, right? We had Aaliyah Boston, Paige Beckers, Caitlin Clark, Nefisa Collier, Kaleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, who again is the point guard. So you gotta assume that if it she's gotta start at minimum, finish, and close games, right? Because if you don't have Chelsea on the floor, okay, well, who's gonna start, right? Who's gonna close games? Who's gonna do it? She can get a bucket late too. She can play good defense, good stockiness, good size for 5'11. Pretty good, right? Like she's won a finals MVP. We know who Chelsea Gray is. You got Ryan Howard still, Kelsey Plum, Angel Reese, Brianna Stewart, AJ Wilson, Jackie Young. Who are the snubs? Who are the snubs? Off top, my first thought might have been Olivia Miles. Now keep in mind, ladies and gentlemen, when people talk about snubs, they usually just throw names out there, right? And don't say, well, who should we take off? You gotta say who you should take off. So when I mention my snubs, I'm gonna mention people who I probably would have taken off over Olivia Miles, okay? I gotta think Kelsey Plum or Caitlin Clark. When I'm looking at it from a point guard perspective, from a scoring perspective, Kelsey might have Olivia right now point in time. Caitlin, even though she scores more, I still lean Olivia because again, Olivia is more efficient. Now, that's not the same with Kelsey, because Kelsey's been pretty efficient too. Olivia and Kelsey, I think I lean Olivia in terms of playmaking. Although Kelsey, if you look at statistically, Kelsey might be winning on this turnover ratio. Caitlin Clark is not winning on this his turnover ratio. Here's the reason why I would have select Olivia over those two. I gain defense. It's better defense, ladies and gentlemen. Olivia Miles is in the MVP discussion. She's like number two in a lot of people's votes right now. Because again, on the links, when the Feast Collie was out their best player, Olivia was viewed as the player that was keeping them afloat at that first spot. Don't get me wrong. They got a good team for sure. But Olivia Miles did seem like she was the engine that was driving that team a little bit. So the fact that she's MVP or she's on the MVP list, but can't make this team, it is a little bit crazy. Now remember, this is a rookie season, so maybe that's the reason why. But again, I also talked about building for the future, right? Well, does this team not, should this team not encompass Olivia Miles? So should we not include Olivia Miles? And I get it. Like you, do you remove Olivia Miles for Caitlin Clark? Because Caitlin Clark did get, she wasn't on the roster at one point in time in the previous season. Like with two, like what was it, 2020, 2020, 2024? I think she didn't make it. But that was Caitlin Clark's rookie season. So at least there's some consistency there. So while I understand Olivia should have been on the team, I can also understand why she's not on the team. And that's not a slight to Kelsey or Caitlin. That's just me personally. Because I like my two-way players, and Olivia is a two-way player. But another slight, another snub that we've we could have considered, Sabrina Ionescu. Now, this one, I'm not gonna lie to you, this one's more of like a nostalgic vibe, right? It's history. Because if we're basing it off this season, I don't know if I would put Sabrina over Kelsey or Caitlin. Well, specifically Caitlyn, because she's played more. Kelsey, I don't know. That could be a little tough because Kelsey also missed some time, too. But I think Sabrina would have to take out one of those two because she brings shooting. She brings experience as well, too. But in playmaking, of course, don't get me wrong. She can score, she can do a lot. Specifically for the shooting, especially with this team that we already have. We already have a bunch of playmakers. She can add to the playmaking, but the shooting is what we're really focusing on. She also knows USA basketball pretty well because she's been on the team before. So I would consider her over Kelsey Plum or Caitlin Clark. Again, I understand why Caitlin made it over Sabrina, because Caitlin has played more games. Kudos. Kelsey, that's another discussion. That's a jump ball. I actually don't know who I'd lead between. I don't know if I'd put Sabrina over Kelsey, but then again, I don't know if I would have put Kelsey over Sabrina either if the roles were reversed. So that's an interesting discussion. But Sabrina Ionescu could have been another snub for sure. Let's move on down though, because I'm only going to bring up five, maybe seven names, but we'll talk about it. Another snub we have, snub three, if you will. Kelsey Mitchell. And this is this arguably might be my biggest snub. Well, okay, no, Olivia might have been the biggest snub, because again, off the MVP list. But off roles, too, though, there's a case for Kelsey being the biggest snub from, especially when we're talking about this season. And I would have looked at, again, Kelsey Plum or Caitlin Clark. Notice how I've mentioned guards so far, right? Like I've mentioned guards. I can mention a bunch of guards too, but Kelsey Mitchell stands out. She is second in the league in points per game. What does she have? Like 16 straight 20-point games? Like that's a record in the WNBA's history, ladies and gentlemen. Like Rick, she's looking to break the record for most 20-point games. We'll talk about that when she does it too. And I said win, because I genuinely believe she will do it the way she's been scoring. But it's not like she's just, she's not a jack. She's an efficient scoring machine. She's averaging three assists a game. People act like she can't pass. Three assists is pretty good. But at the same time, if you damn near 50, 40, 90, hell, why are you passing? Like, why you passing? Go get a bucket, champ, please. And that's what Kelsey Mitchell does. Now, from a defensive standpoint, I think she's cool. She's good to me because on offense, she's been on the fever. She's been getting the bucket. And it's not like she has to guard some slouch defensively. Like when they went up against the Lynx, Kelsey Mitchell was actually guarding Olivia Miles. And they both were having quite a battle, ladies and gentlemen. So again, when I think Kelsey Mitchell, she brings me more defense than Kelsey Plum and Caitlin Clark. And when we're talking about scoring, I probably prefer her scoring over Kelsey and definitely her scoring over Caitlin. Caitlin's not as efficient as Kelsey. So on this team, you're going to need a little efficiency for sure. I'd rather have Kelsey Mitchell. But again, I get it. Caitlin, we're thinking about the future. Kelsey, that one's a little more interesting. But again, I think Kelsey Plum talking about. But I do think Kelsey Mitchell should have made this should have made this season for sure. Snub four, we could talk about Alyssa Thomas. I know what y'all are thinking. Oh, well, let's remove her from Kelsey Plum or Caitlin Clark, right? No, nope, nope. We're going to change it up now because this is a forward or center that we're talking about. I'd probably remove Angel Reese or Aaliy Balston. Now, again, I understand why both of those players are on this team. Alyssa Thomas gives you a lot of versatility, gives you defense, playmaker. You can put her at the center position. I think Alyssa Thomas would have worked smooth here. You can still play her alongside players like Asia Wilson, Brianna Stewart, Nafisa Collier, and it'd be okay. But again, ladies and gentlemen, they do have a good amount of playmakers, and it's not like Asia Wilson, Brianna Stewart, and Nafisa Collier can't play make them damn selves. So I do understand why Alyssa Thomas might not have made it. Because then you also got to think about the future as well, too. So there's going to be that little time period where you're going to have some people get snubbed for that very reason, thinking about the future, but also worrying about the present. And that's where we are with Alyssa Thomas. Could she have played? I would have loved to see her play. Yeah. But like I said, I understand it. Another snub that we got to consider. I probably am going to move NECA Gumake up just a little bit, right? We got to think about it from a history perspective. It would have been cool to see NECA on this team. For sure. Now, unless NECA plays for another team, that's another discussion for another day, too, I guess. But again, I would have loved to see NECA on this squad. Again, you have to think about Angel Reese, Aliyah Boston. They got to be moved. But NECA, when we're talking about scoring, still one of them ones. Quality rebounder. You can make an argument that NECA's like still top five, top 10 WNBA player currently. And hopefully she carries my sparks to the playoffs. But I don't see it happening right now, basically point in time. But that's not on her. And if you watch her her body of work, you know NECA has been one of them ones. Former MVP, you gotta include her. So again, I would have loved to see NECA up here, but I also get it. You gotta let the young guns flourish a little bit and try to prepare for that 2028 World Cup game. Or I'm sorry, uh Olympic game. Now, another player who I would have loved to see, actually a couple players, Sonia Citron. I probably would have taken Khalia Copper off, Kelsey Plum or Caitlin Clark. And I put a question mark around Khalia Copper, because point in time, I don't know if Khalia is, I don't know if Sonya's better than Khalia. I think Sonya can be more efficient, but statistically, right now, that ain't the case, especially from three, which they need that. And then defensively, I still might lean Khalia over Sonya point in time. So I would have loved to see Sonia, but I think I would have stuck with Khalia, which made me think now, okay, do I take Kelsey and Caitlin art but out? But then from a scoring perspective, Kelsey gets the better of Sonia. Playmaking wise, Caitlin's better than Sonia. Because not like Sonia is also not turnover prone, too. From a when she gets her assist, she's also liable to get a turnover. But she's not a playmaker, she's a two-way player. That's a little bit different. But she can playmake, she's not a playmaker, to be clear. Same. And we got, I guess we can keep it with the Mystics, too. Shakira Alston, Kiki Erie Effen. I would have lived, I would have loved to see them on the floor. And again, we have to think about taking off Angel Reese or Leah Balston. And I think with Shakira, you could actually do that because she gives you double doubles, right? She's a rim protector. She's been the defensive anchor for the Mystics this entire season. And she's also one of their leading scorers, keep in mind. She's a candidate for most improved player. And the only reason why she ain't gonna win is because Jessica Shepard has been hooping. But keep in mind, Jessica Shepard starts slipping. Shakira Austin can catch up now. So again, Shakira Austin has a lot of talent. And if I and we're talking about future too, you can consider Shakira Austin for the future because I mean she's been playing pretty well. And Kiki Ari Effen. Looks like she got a lot of potential for show. Close to a double-double her daggone self. She's not the defensive anchor that Shakira Austin is. But I mean, we're talking about scoring, rebounding, she can do that. And it's not like she can't block and play defense. So again, I would have loved to see those two players on the team. And I'm actually curious who I would have chosen between Shakira Austin, Kiki Ariffen, Angel Reese, and Aliyah Boston, purely about basketball. If it's about entertainment too, maybe that's another discussion. But those are some players I would have loved

Verdict And Your Turn

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to see. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, like I said, that's the that's the team rosters. You heard the coaching staff and you heard my snubs. Now I'm curious, did USA basketball get it wrong? I need to know. I want to hear your thoughts. Let me know if you like the roster that it currently is. Which I do kind of like the roster, actually. But do you think they should have made changes? Which again, I do low key think they could have made changes and should have made changes. But I'm curious what you all think. So, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone one about the WNBA, and two about my show. My name is Trey, I'm the host of Get a Bucket. I hope you are all having a good one. Take care.