Paige Bueckers is currently dealing with an ankle sprain that sidelined her for Saturday’s game between the Dallas Wings and Portland Fire. However, that didn’t stop the WNBA phenom from taking in some World Cup action as Japan faced the Netherlands at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Bueckers attended the match alongside Azzi Fudd and other Wings teammates, and she confirmed that it was the first World Cup match she had ever been to in-person. Japan and the Netherlands ultimately tied 2-2, and the Wings superstar had a blast.
Paige Bueckers Raves About First World Cup Match
After a slow first half, the match picked up and featured plenty of action. The Netherlands Virgil van Dijk scored a goal in the 51st minute, but Japan’s Keito Nakamura answered with a goal of his own just six minutes later. In the 64th minute, Crysencio Summerville gave the Dutch a 2-1 lead. However, Daichi Kamada scored a header in the 88th minute to end the match in a tie.
On Monday, Bueckers opened up about her experience and whether her first-ever World Cup match lived up to the hype.
“It was the first World Cup experience that we ever got to enjoy,” Bueckers said. “They presented us with an opportunity [to go]; obviously, it’s right here in our backyard in Arlington, Texas. They asked us to come to a game and we all said yes, of course, and we got to enjoy that experience of going to the World Cup and being in that crowd, being in that environment, and it was really cool.”
When asked if anything about the experience surprised her, Bueckers highlighted the fans who traveled from abroad.
“Just how many people who actually are from Japan and who actually are from the Netherlands came just for this experience, being here and supporting their country,” she said. “So to see the fan support from all across the world, it was really cool.”
Bueckers said that she’s excited to watch “GOATs” Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, plus Cristiano Ronaldo. However, she made her allegiances clear: “Of course, I’m rooting for Team USA.”
While this is Bueckers’ first World Cup match, she’s no stranger to attending soccer games. Last September, she attended a NWSL match between Angel City and Washington Spirit in Los Angeles (which also happened to end up in a 2-2 draw). One month later, she attended her first-ever Premier League match as Arsenal defeated Crystal Palace 1-0 at the Emirates.
Bueckers is already one of the WNBA’s biggest stars and most popular players, while also being a major reason that the Wings are currently 8-5 (the third-best record in the Western Conference). During her sophomore season, Bueckers is averaging 19.8 points, 5.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.0 3s, while shooting 52.3% from the field, 42.9% from 3-point range, and 78.6% from the free-throw line.
