Team USA is heading to Berlin with plenty of star power.
But it isn’t the exact team USA Basketball announced earlier this month.
A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum are now out of the lineup, creating two major changes to a roster that was already expected to carry enormous expectations into the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
USA Basketball announced on August 31 that Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron and forward Kiki Iriafen had been added to the 12-player roster.
The changes came after Wilson withdrew from the team and Plum withdrew because of a lower-left-leg injury. Plum will also miss the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season. Her specific injury was not disclosed beyond the lower-left-leg designation, while Wilson’s reason for withdrawing has not been publicly specified.
So what does Team USA look like now?
The New Team USA Roster
The current 12-player roster is:
- Paige Bueckers
- Sonia Citron
- Rhyne Howard
- Napheesa Collier
- Caitlin Clark
- Jackie Young
- Aliyah Boston
- Kiki Iriafen
- Angel Reese
- Breanna Stewart
- Chelsea Gray
- Satou Sabally
That is still an incredibly talented group.
But replacing Wilson and Plum changes the team’s makeup.
Wilson was not simply another name on the roster. She is a four-time WNBA MVP and a two-time FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup gold medalist. Plum also entered the tournament with significant international experience, including two previous World Cup gold medals.
Now, two younger players are being asked to step into those roster spots.
Citron and Iriafen Get Their Opportunity
For Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, the roster changes create an opportunity to step onto one of the biggest stages in international basketball.
Both players are members of the Washington Mystics, and both were added to the team as USA Basketball adjusted its roster less than a week before the World Cup begins.
Iriafen isn’t completely new to this USA Basketball setup, either.
She was part of the United States team during the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico. During that tournament, she averaged 4.2 rebounds per game and helped the United States finish 5-0.
Citron, meanwhile, now gets her chance to make her mark on a roster featuring a mix of established international veterans and players making their World Cup debuts.
That mix could become one of the more interesting things to watch once the games begin.
Yes, Both Angel & Caitlin Are Going
Of course, there is another reason this roster will attract plenty of attention.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are both representing the United States.
But the story here isn’t about putting a supposed rivalry aside.
It’s about what happens when two of the most recognizable young stars in women’s basketball are part of the same national-team roster alongside veterans such as Breanna Stewart, Chelsea Gray, Napheesa Collier and Jackie Young.
And Clark isn’t entering her first international tournament without already having some experience with this particular USA Basketball group.
At the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament, Clark led the United States in efficiency at 14.6 per game and averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 assists. Reese led the team in rebounding at 8.0 per game.
FIBA is also already highlighting Clark as one of the players to watch for the World Cup, noting that she won the TISSOT MVP award at the qualifying tournament in San Juan.
And this will be Clark’s first FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Reese is also preparing to make her World Cup debut.
The Standard Hasn’t Changed
The roster has.
The expectation hasn’t.
The United States is chasing its fifth consecutive Women’s Basketball World Cup gold medal and 12th overall world title.
The 2026 tournament features 16 national teams and will be played in Berlin from September 4 through September 13.
Team USA opens Group D play against China before facing Czechia and Italy in the group phase.
Wilson and Plum won’t be there.
Citron and Iriafen will.
That means Team USA will have to adjust on the fly — and it gives us something else to watch besides whether the Americans win.
Who steps up?
Who takes on a bigger role?
And which player turns an unexpected opportunity into a statement on the international stage?
Those answers are coming soon.
Sports UNIllustrated will be following Team USA throughout the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
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