United States to Compete in Puerto Rico in FIBA Women’s World Qualifier
The United States women’s basketball team is preparing to participate in the qualifying tournament for the FIBA World Cup, which will be held in Puerto Rico in March. The Americans, already qualified for the World Cup to be held next year 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. On March 14, they will face Italy, and on March 15, New Zealand. The competition will culminate on March 17 with a match against Spain. It is anticipated that there will be one or two training camps for the US team before the qualifying tournament, which will likely feature Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.Clark has been out of action since mid-July due to groin and ankle injuries.There are some things with USA Basketball that are probably my main priority right now that I need to prepare for, and I think that will help me prepare for next season as well,” Clark said last week. “But obviously, then you have to prepare for USA Basketball in some way, so there are a lot of different things you have to figure out and balance. And, you know, I’ll be working on a lot of that too.”
Caitlin Clark
While it’s highly likely that Clark will participate, it’s probable that the Americans won’t have their coach, Kara Lawson. The Duke women’s team coach was recently named the U.S. Olympic coach for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The World Cup qualifying tournament will be held just before the start of the NCAA Tournament.
It is expected that the 3-on-3 league, Unrivaled, in Miami, will finish its season before the start of the qualifying tournament. FIBA will also organize qualifying tournaments in Istanbul, Lyon-Villeurbanne, France; and Wuhan, China. Belgium, Australia, and Nigeria have already qualified for the World Cup, as has Germany, the host. The top three teams that do not include those already qualified in Istanbul, China, and Puerto Rico will advance to the World Cup. In France, the top two teams that do not include Germany and Nigeria will advance.
