The next USA FIBA game is set for Thursday, September 10, when Team USA opens knockout play at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany. The Americans will face either Japan or Hungary, with that qualification matchup scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, in the German capital.
Team USA enters the quarterfinal round after a perfect run through Group D. Head coach Kara Lawson’s squad finished pool play 3-0, punching an automatic ticket into the final eight without needing the qualification round that several other contenders must survive first.
How Team USA Got Here
The road through group play started smoothly and grew tense before ending in dominant fashion. Team USA opened the tournament on Friday, September 4, with a 94-61 win over China, a result that showcased the offensive firepower of a roster blending veterans and newcomers.
The second group game, played Sunday, September 6, against Italy, turned into the tightest test the Americans have faced in decades. Team USA escaped with a 55-52 win, a game in which the U.S. shot just 29 percent from the field and scored its fewest points in a World Cup contest since the introduction of the three-point line in 1984.
Jackie Young led the Americans with 10 points in that game, while Chelsea Gray and Breanna Stewart delivered key baskets down the stretch. Italy’s Cecilia Zandalasini finished with a game-high 14 points and nearly forced overtime with a late three-point attempt that rimmed out.
“It wasn’t our best outing,” Lawson said afterward. “Defensively, holding a team to 52 points in this tournament is hard to do, but we didn’t have our fastball tonight.”
Team USA answered that scare on Monday, September 7, with a 105-64 rout of Czechia to close out group play. Breanna Stewart paced the Americans with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and all 12 players on the roster scored while logging at least 13 minutes.
A Historic Winning Streak Keeps Growing
That victory over Czechia extended Team USA’s winning streak in FIBA World Cup competition to 34 consecutive games, a run dating back to a semifinal loss to Russia at the 2006 World Championship. No team in the tournament’s history has strung together a run of dominance like it.
Zoom out further, and the streak looks even bigger. Counting Olympic and World Cup play together, the Americans carried a 66-game winning streak into this tournament, also tracing back to that 2006 defeat to Russia. Three more wins in Berlin have only added to that total.
Who’s on the Roster
Team USA’s roster for the 2026 World Cup blends established Olympic champions with a wave of first-time national team standouts. The 12 players are:
- Aliyah Boston
- Paige Bueckers
- Sonia Citron
- Caitlin Clark
- Napheesa Collier
- Kahleah Copper
- Chelsea Gray
- Rhyne Howard
- Kiki Iriafen
- Angel Reese
- Breanna Stewart
- Jackie Young
This marks the first major senior national team tournament for Bueckers, Clark and Reese together, giving the roster a noticeably younger look than recent U.S. squads. A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum both withdrew from the tournament ahead of the opening game, leaving Stewart and Collier as the primary frontcourt leaders for this group.
Lawson has rotated lineup combinations throughout the group stage, often pairing Stewart with Clark and Bueckers on the floor at the same time. The approach has worked well enough to keep the Americans unbeaten, even through the white-knuckle finish against Italy.
Setting Up the Quarterfinal
Because Team USA won Group D outright, the Americans earned a direct bye into the quarterfinals, skipping the qualification round entirely. Sixteen teams began the tournament, but only the four group winners — the United States, France, Australia and Spain — advanced straight to the final eight.
The remaining four quarterfinal spots are being decided through a qualification round played Tuesday and Wednesday, September 8 and 9, pitting the second- and third-place finishers from each group against one another. Team USA’s specific opponent depends on Tuesday’s game between Hungary and Hungary, scheduled to tip off at 11:45 a.m. ET.
If Japan advances, Thursday’s quarterfinal becomes a rematch of the gold medal game from the Tokyo Olympics, which the United States won 90-75. Hungary, by contrast, would be making its first appearance in the tournament’s final eight in 40 years, led by center Dorka Juhász.
Quarterfinal, Semifinal and Final Dates
Here is the full path Team USA is following through the knockout stage in Berlin:
| Round | Date | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinal | Thursday, Sept. 10 | Winner of Japan vs. Hungary |
| Semifinal | Saturday, Sept. 12 | TBD |
| Championship | Sunday, Sept. 13 | TBD |
Notably, tournament seeding keeps Team USA and France on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning the two powerhouses cannot meet again until the championship game, if both advance that far. France finished group play unbeaten as well, routing Nigeria 111-56 in its final group game.
Where to Watch
Every U.S. game at the 2026 FIBA World Cup, including the next USA FIBA game on Thursday, airs on TNT and truTV, with all 36 tournament games streaming live on HBO Max. The tournament runs through September 13 in Berlin, a city six hours ahead of Eastern time, meaning tip-off times for U.S. viewers typically fall in the late morning or early afternoon.
What’s at Stake
A win Thursday would push Team USA into its fourth straight World Cup semifinal appearance and keep alive its bid for a fifth consecutive world title and 12th overall — a mark no other nation has come remotely close to matching. The Americans have not finished outside the podium at this event since the 2006 tournament in Brazil.
Beyond the streak and the medal count, this tournament also serves as an early measuring stick heading into the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. With Bueckers, Clark and Reese gaining valuable experience on the international stage, Lawson’s coaching decisions in Berlin could shape how the national team program builds its roster over the next two years.
Depth remains a talking point across the entire event, not just for the Americans. “The world is improving and has continued to improve, and there’s more depth to the teams at the World Cup now,” Lawson said this week, acknowledging that Italy’s near-upset was no fluke. “I think the depth of these rosters is really” something teams have to account for, she added, pointing to the tighter margins seen throughout pool play.
For now, all eyes turn to Tuesday’s qualification game to determine exactly who stands across from Team USA on Thursday. Whether it’s a familiar Olympic rival in Japan or a Hungary squad chasing its best finish in four decades, the Americans will enter as heavy favorites — but after Sunday’s scare against Italy, few expect an easy afternoon in Berlin.
Who do you think will emerge as Team USA’s toughest matchup in the knockout round — drop your prediction and keep following the bracket as it unfolds.