(East Los Angeles, CA) From The Editor’s Desk: Here’s some very good news for our Sparks fans, WNBA fans, our USA Basketball followers, and those very interested in the FIBA world of hosting international tournaments, as they are taking place around the globe at this time in preparation for the 2026 World Cup tournament set for this coming June in Berlin, Germany.

There is already a preseason joint activity tied to multiple WNBA teams and our USA Basketball National Team roster, as the FIBA 2026 World Cup “Qualifying” Tournament is slated to begin on March 11th in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Be sure to click on the two links we’ve included at the end of the story for quick references on the tournament.

The Sparks will be represented by the potent combination of shooting guard Kelsey Plum and center/power forward Dearica Hamby. Both have prior USA Basketball competitive experience and will be counted on to strengthen the backcourt and frontcourt positions of the 12-player roster.

Kindly give the press release issued by USA Basketball a good read. The organization oversees ALL of our American teams, whether they are classified as Junior or Senior, and selects teams for all FIBA-sponsored competitions worldwide.

Hamby, Plum Chosen for Team USA

Sparks Stars to Represent USA at 2026 World Cup Qualifying Tournament in March

USA Basketball Announces Roster and Coaching Staff for 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament

 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Feb. 11, 2026) – USA Basketball has recently announced the 12-player roster and coaching staff who will represent the U.S. at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from March 11-17, 2026.

The USA, who have already qualified for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin by winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, brings a mix of veterans and newcomers to the six-team round robin tournament.

The roster features 2024 Olympic gold medalists Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young. Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard won the Bronze medal in 3×3 at the 2024 Paris Games.

Plum is a two-time World Cup champion (2022, 2018), while Copper and Gray each have one World Cup title (2022). Aliyah Boston, who has represented the USA in many junior and senior competitions, will compete for the USA for the first time since the 2024 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Antwerp, Belgium.

Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron, Caitlin Clark, Kiki Iriafen, and Angel Reese will make their senior national team competitive debuts. Boston, Howard, and Reese have competed in the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, while Boston, Bueckers, Citron, Clark, and Howard have won gold medals from various junior competitions. A number of players also feature 3×3 experience, including Olympic medalists Plum (2020, gold), Young (2020, gold), Howard and Hamby. Boston and Bueckers have also represented USA Basketball in 3×3 junior competitions.

Three-time Olympic and World champion Breanna Stewart will join the team in Miami for a pre-competition training camp, set for March 7-8

The 2025-28 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach Kara Lawson (Duke University) will lead the team in San Juan. She will be assisted by assistant coaches Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries), Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury) and Stephanie White (Indiana Fever). Nakase, Tibbetts and White were court coaches at December’s training camp with all three making their assistant coaching debuts for the women’s program. Lawson will return to Duke to prepare for the NCAA Tournament prior to the tournament ending, and an assistant coach will sit in the first chair for the remaining games.

White, the 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year, was a court coach at the April 2024 Women’s National Team’s Training Camp and also played for the USA at the 1997 Jones Cup and the 1994 and 1995 U.S. Olympic Festivals. During the 2025 season, White led the Fever to a franchise-record 24 wins. Tibbetts, who led the Mercury to the 2025 WNBA Finals, was the head coach of the USA Men’s Pan American Games Team that finished third in 2011. Nakase is the reigning WNBA Coach of the Year. She helped the Valkyries become the first expansion franchise to make the playoffs in their first season.

José Fernández (Dallas Wings) and Tia Jackson (Duke University) will serve as scout coaches in San Juan. Fernandez, who is entering his first season as head coach of the Dallas Wings, has won two gold medals with the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team program. Jackson served in this capacity at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup.

The U.S. opens competition March 11 vs. Senegal, followed by Puerto Rico (March 12), Italy (March 14), New Zealand (March 15) and Spain (March 17). Most recently, the USA Women’s National Team beat Senegal 101-39 at the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The USA last defeated Puerto Rico 106-42 at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup. The USA’s matchup vs. Italy will be their first since a 92-37 victory at the 1994 Goodwill Games, while the meeting with New Zealand will mark the first between the two nations since the Americans’ 96-60 win at the 2008 Olympic Games. The USA topped Spain 101-72 at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games. For the full schedule, click here.

In addition to San Juan, qualifying tournaments will also take place in Istanbul; Lyon-Villeurbanne, France; and Wuhan, China. More information on how teams can qualify for the World Cup is available here.

USA Basketball Women’s National Team managing director Sue Bird selected the roster and will continue to evaluate players prior to selecting a team for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup, which will take place from Sept. 4-13 in Berlin. Team USA will seek its fifth consecutive World Cup Gold medal and 12^th overall.

[ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES SPARKS]  

Founded in 1996, the Los Angeles Sparks are one of three existing original franchises in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) that have remained in its founding city. With 551 victories, the Sparks are the winningest franchise in league history. As three-time WNBA Champions (2001, 2002, 2016), the organization is dedicated to delivering a championship-level entertainment experience at Crypto.com Arena while showcasing the best athletes from around the world on the court.

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