Rivals United for Gold: Clark, Reese, and Bueckers Join Forces in World Cup Defense

They have been fierce rivals since their college days, trading trash talk, battling in the playoffs and competing for championships. But as the 2026 FIBA World Cup opens in Berlin on Friday, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers are setting aside their domestic rivalries to unite under a singular banner: keeping American women’s basketball atop the international podium.The transition from undisputed franchise focal points to a role-based reserves is the defining theme surrounding the high-profile trio, who are among seven Americans making their debut in major international 5×5 competition. With four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and Team USA veteran guard Kelsey Plum sidelined with health issues, the squad’s youthful contingent will be counted on to supply depth and explosive energy to a team led by battled-tested leaders Breanna Stewart, in her fourth World Cup, and point guard Chelsea Gray.The blend of eras is precisely what Team USA managing director Sue Bird envisioned when constructing the squad. “What I love about this team, it’s got experience – internationally, WNBA, you name it – it also has youth,” she told reporters in Berlin. “You need both those energies. You need some old heads. You need some young’uns.”The Americans seek to extend a 30-game winning streak in World Cup competition and eventually tie the tournament record of five consecutive gold medals set by the Soviet Union from 1959 through 1975.Led by head coach Kara Lawson, the United States team will navigate Group D against China, Italy, and Czechia. After facing China on Friday, the Americans play Italy on Sunday and Czechia on Monday. The first-place finisher is each group qualifies directly to the quarterfinals. Second-and-third-place teams in the group stage meeting in a single elimination game to advance to the quarterfinals.It appears Misses. Clark, Bueckers and Reese will be coming off the bench initially. Ms. Gray, who has extensive international experience, is likely to start at point guard with Mr. Clark getting significant minutes.“She’s locked in and ready to go,” Ms. Lawson said of Ms. Clark. “Minutes and roles, we haven’t gotten there yet with our players. But she’s somebody that can change games with her ability to create pace, her ability to score, playmake . . . that’s something that is going to be a great fit for the personnel that we have on this team.”Before the season paused for the FIBA World Cup, Ms. Clark was positioning herself as a legitimate WNBA MVP candidate, averaging 22.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game. She also became the first WNBA player to record a 30-point, 10-assist performance in back-to-back games.Ms. Reese has been setting records as well with her 29th double-double of the season recently for the Atlanta Dream. She earned back-to-back WNBA Player of the Week honors leading up to the break, averaging 19 points, 14.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists and three steals during a six-game span.Ms. Bueckers is also enjoying a stellar season, averaging 20.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists. “It’s all about sacrifice,” Ms. Buckers told reporters in Berlin. “It’s all about winning, and it’s all about everybody on this team is a superstar in their own right. Everybody can score 20, 30 points a night, but what can you do to contribute to winning? And what can you do to sacrifice? Everybody’s going to have to buy in.”The Americans might be after a fifth consecutive World Cup gold medal, but the rest of the world is rapidly closing the gap. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, France pushed the U.S. to the absolute brink, falling just one point short in the gold medal game. It was the closest any nation has come to defeating the American women in either the Olympics or FIBA World Cup since Russia shocked the U.S. in the 2006 World Cup semifinals.“I think there’s no question that the world is improving at a rapid rate,” Ms. Lawson said. “It’s so exciting to see and I see it at every level. There’s more depth to the teams at the World Cup. I think it’s going to be the most difficult World Cup to win that we’ve ever faced because of that.”Along with France, Australia, Spain and China are looking to make a run at gold.

Rivals United for Gold: Clark, Reese, and Bueckers Join Forces in World Cup Defense

Rivals United for Gold: Clark, Reese, and Bueckers Join Forces in World Cup Defense

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