Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers to make Team USA basketball senior debuts in March

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers will become teammates next month when the highly touted trio makes their senior national team debuts with Team USA. Clark, Reese and Bueckers were all part of the Team USA roster for the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament. The roster was announced Wednesday, and the competition will be held in Puerto Rico from March 11-17. 

Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, who were named WNBA All-Stars during their rookie seasons in 2025, were also named to the team, along with numerous 2024 Olympic gold medalists. Notably, Breanna Stewart will participate in training camp from March 7-8, but will not play in the tournament. 

"They're really bringing something new to our sport, a kind of excitement, but also fan communities that follow them everywhere they go. And that's great. We have a great generation of young, very talented players coming up, and I'm looking forward to working with them," Team USA head coach Kara Lawson said of Clark, Reese and Bueckers back in November.

"It will be good to have them in a position to play with Team USA this time and see how they gel with everyone, since there's already so much talent."

This will also be the first time that Lawson, who was appointed in September to lead the national team through the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, will take charge of a competitive event. She was previously an assistant coach for Team USA during the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup in Australia. Lawson, who also coaches Duke's women's basketball team, will depart at some point during the event to return to Raleigh to prepare for the NCAA Tournament. 

Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries), Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury) and Stephanie White (Indiana Fever) have all been named assistant coaches. One of them will take over for the remaining games after Lawson departs.

Here's a look at the full roster.

Team USA roster for World Cup Qualifying

Team USA schedule

• March 11 vs. Senegal, 3 p.m. ET
• March 12 vs. Puerto Rico, 6 p.m. ET
• March 14 vs. Italy, 3 p.m. ET
• March 15 vs. New Zealand, Noon ET
• March 17 vs. Spain, 3 p.m. ET

All games in the round robin tournament will take place at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan. Viewing information will be announced at a later date. 

What's at stake for Team USA?

Team USA has already qualified for the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup, which will take place Germany from Sept. 4-13, by winning the FIBA Women's AmeriCup last summer. 

Even though the Americans do not need to worry about their results, there's still plenty at stake for the individual players hoping to be on the plane to Berlin in September. The WNBA will pause its season in early September to allow players to compete in the event.

This is a transitional period for the senior national team, which has won gold at the last eight Olympics and the last four World Cups. The average age of the 2024 Olympic team was over 30 years old, and there wasn't a single player younger than 26. Diana Taurasi has since retired, while the likes of Brittney Griner, Alyssa Thomas, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd are all approaching their mid-30s. 

The likes of Clark -- a controversial snub from the 2024 Olympic team -- Bueckers, Boston, Reese, Citron, Iriafen and Howard will all have a chance to impress Lawson in Puerto Rico next month and prove that they deserve to be part of the national team set-up moving forward.