United States to Contest FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Puerto Rico
The American team is preparing to compete in Puerto Rico during the month of March, within the framework of the qualifiers for the FIBA Women’s World Cup. The United States team, 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 competition for the Americans will start on March 11, facing Senegal. The next day, they will face Puerto Rico. On March 14 they will play against Italy and on the 15th against New Zealand. The closing of their participation will be 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. Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is very likely to be part of the team.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 very likely that the Americans will not have their coach, Kara Lawson. The Duke women’s team coach was recently named coach of the United States Olympic team for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The World Cup qualifier will be held just before the start of the NCAA Tournament. The Miami-based 3-on-3 league, Unrivaled, is expected to conclude its season before the start of the qualifier. 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 country. The top three teams, excluding those already qualified in Istanbul, China, and Puerto Rico, will advance to the World Cup. In France, the first two teams, excluding Germany and Nigeria, will get their ticket.There are a few things related to 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,” 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 also be working a lot on that.
Caitlin Clark
