Team USA Begins Quest for Fifth Straight FIBA World Cup Title Against China
The quest for a fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s World Cup crown starts now for Team USA, and it starts with a statement game.
On Friday, Sept. 4, the Americans open Group D play against China, a matchup loaded with history, intrigue and a very different-looking U.S. roster. The ball goes up at 8:15 a.m. ET (5:15 a.m. PT), with the game played at Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin and carried in the U.S. on TNT and truTV, with streaming on HBO Max.
This is no gentle warm-up. Group D also includes Italy and Czechia, but China arrive as genuine contenders, fresh off a silver medal at the 2022 World Cup. The U.S. have owned this stage for decades, winning nine of the last 12 FIBA Women’s World Cups and the last four in a row. The standard is clear. So is the pressure.
A new bench leader, a new core
Kara Lawson takes charge of this World Cup run, leading a U.S. squad that blends hype, youth and expectation. Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers headline a new wave of American stars stepping into a tournament the program is expected to dominate.
They’re not easing into the spotlight. They’re being handed the keys to a dynasty.
But this is not the roster USA Basketball originally imagined. Four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, who also claimed MVP honors at the 2022 World Cup, is out due to health reasons. So is guard Kelsey Plum, another proven big-game performer. Two pillars of the recent golden run, gone before a ball is tipped in Berlin.
It changes the picture. It doesn’t change the expectation.
China hit by late blow of their own
China arrive with their own headache. Center Li Yueru, a two-time Olympian and key figure in that 2022 silver-medal run, will miss the tournament after her passport was lost in the mail, preventing her from traveling to Germany. It’s a bizarre, brutal twist for a player central to China’s interior presence and experience.
Her absence strips China of size, scoring and familiarity in the paint. It also forces an immediate tactical rethink against a U.S. team that, even without Wilson, can still throw waves of athleticism and length at opponents.
The margins at this level are thin. Losing Yueru on the eve of the tournament is the kind of blow that can tilt a group.
How to watch USA vs. China
- Date: Friday, Sept. 4
- Time: 8:15 a.m. ET (5:15 a.m. PT)
- Location: Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin
- TV (U.S.): TNT, truTV
- Streaming (U.S.): HBO Max
World Cup path: every game matters
The World Cup format leaves little room for error. Each team in Group D faces the others once in the preliminary round-robin, with every result shaping the bracket.
Team USA schedule, Group D
- Friday, Sept. 4: USA vs. China | TNT, truTV, HBO Max (8 a.m. ET)
- Sunday, Sept. 6: USA vs. Italy | TNT, HBO Max (2:30 p.m. ET)
- Monday, Sept. 7: USA vs. Czechia | TNT, HBO Max (2:30 p.m. ET)
Top spot in the group is gold. The group winner moves straight into the quarterfinals on Thursday, Sept. 10 (TNT, truTV). Second and third place are sent into a sudden-death Playoff Qualification Round on Tuesday, Sept. 8 (truTV), with only four of those teams surviving to complete the quarterfinal field.
From there, the stakes spike again. Semifinals are set for Saturday, Sept. 12 (TBS, truTV). The third-place game and the final will close the tournament on Sunday, Sept. 13 (TNT, truTV).
For the United States, the target never changes: win it all, again.
The twist this time? They’ll have to do it with a new coach, a new generation and without two of their most decorated stars. The dynasty isn’t just being defended in Berlin. It’s being rebuilt on the fly, under the brightest lights the women’s game can offer.
