The WNBA regular season is on a brief hiatus due to the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, which tips off today.
Team USA is the strong favorite once again as they prepare to start the tournament against China. Here’s everything you need to know about Team USA’s first game and how to watch.
Broadcast and Streaming Options for Team USA vs. China at FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup
The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup games will be televised on TNT and its family of networks. The network reached a multi-year media rights deal with FIBA earlier this year. TNT will broadcast all of Team USA’s games on its network.
TruTV will also broadcast several games, and the entire tournament is available on streaming through HBO Max.
The FIBA World Cup takes place in Berlin, Germany, from September 4-13. Team USA has won 11 gold medals and is favored to win its 12th. Duke head coach Kara Lawson will coach Team USA, which will try to win its fifth-straight gold medal.
Team USA’s roster includes Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, Napheesa Collier, and Breanna Stewart, who is looking to tie legendary point guard Sue Bird by winning her fourth gold medal for Team USA, among others.
Team USA faced China on Friday, Sept. 4, the opening day of competition in Group D action. The game will air on TNT and truTV, plus it can be streamed on HBO Max. It’s a rematch of the 2022 gold medal game, which was a blowout win for Team USA.
China has been ranked in the top five of FIBA’s women’s basketball rankings over the last several years. Their roster includes a few players with WNBA experience, including Han Xu and Li Yueru.
China should give USA a strong opening test. Most of the attention will be centered on Clark, who is having the best season of her young WNBA career.
Clark will have the opportunity to continue adding to her legacy by helping Team USA win the gold medal, though she can also lean on Bueckers and her other talented teammates.
BREAKING: Two-time World Cup gold medalists Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson will no longer compete for Team USA at the FIBA Women’s World Cup due to health reasons, USA Basketball announced.
Plum will also miss the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season as she continues to recover from a… pic.twitter.com/n91EwwucoA
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 31, 2026
While A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum withdrawing from the team is significant, it provides an opportunity for Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron, who were added to the roster as replacements.
Clark and the rest of the nation’s top players will take a break from the intensity of the current WNBA season to focus on representing their country and attempting to win a gold medal.
