United States to Compete in Puerto Rico in FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifier
The United States team is preparing to participate in a qualifying tournament for the FIBA Women’s World Cup, which will take place in Puerto Rico in March. The American team, already qualified for next year’s World Cup in Germany, will share a group with Italy, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Senegal and Spain. The match schedule for the United States will begin on March 11 against Senegal, followed by a match against Puerto Rico the next day. The American team will face Italy on March 14 and New Zealand the next day. The competition for the United States will conclude on March 17 against Spain. Before the qualifying tournament, one or two training camps are anticipated for the U.S. team. Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is expected to participate in these preparations.Clark has been out of the courts since mid-July due to groin and ankle injuries. Although there is a high probability that Clark will participate, it is likely that the US team will not have its coach, Kara Lawson. The Duke women’s team coach was recently named US Olympic coach for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The World Cup qualifying tournament will be held just before the start of the NCAA Tournament. The Miami-based 3-on-3 Unrivaled league is expected to conclude its season before the start of the qualifying tournament. In addition to Puerto Rico, FIBA will also organize qualifying tournaments in Istanbul, Lyon-Villeurbanne, France, and Wuhan, China. Belgium, Australia, and Nigeria are already qualified for the World Cup, as is Germany, the host country. The three best-performing teams, excluding those already qualified in Istanbul, China, and Puerto Rico, will advance to the World Cup. In France, the two best teams will advance, excluding Germany and Nigeria.There are some things with USA Basketball that are probably my main priority right now and that I need to prepare for, and I think that will also help me prepare for next season.
Caitlin Clark
