United States to Face Puerto Rico in FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers
The United States national team is preparing to compete in Puerto Rico in March, as part of the qualifiers for the FIBA Women’s World Cup. The Americans, already qualified for the World Cup to be held next year in Germany, are part of a group that includes Italy, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Senegal and Spain. The competition calendar for the United States will begin on March 11 against Senegal, followed by the match against Puerto Rico the next day. The American team will play against Italy on March 14 and against New Zealand the next day. The participation of the United States in this phase will culminate on March 17 with a match against Spain. Before this 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 activities.Clark has been out of the courts since mid-July due to groin and ankle injuries.There are a few things related to USA Basketball that are probably my main priority right now, which I need to prepare for, and I think that will also help me prepare for next season,” Clark commented. “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 also be working on that a lot.
Caitlin Clark
Although Clark is very likely to participate, it is probable 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 qualifier will take place just before the start of the NCAA Tournament.
The Miami-based 3-on-3 basketball league, Unrivaled, is expected to conclude its season before the start of this qualifier. In addition to Puerto Rico, FIBA will organize qualifying tournaments in Istanbul, Lyon-Villeurbanne, France; and Wuhan, China. Belgium, Australia and Nigeria have already secured their place in the World Cup, along with Germany, the host country. The three teams with the best performance in Istanbul, China and Puerto Rico, excluding those already qualified, will advance to the World Cup. In France, the two best teams, excluding Germany and Nigeria, will also obtain a spot.
