Team USA World Cup roster must adjust after A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum exits
A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum are out for health reasons, leaving Team USA to redistribute production and experience in Berlin.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The Team USA World Cup roster has changed days before the opening tip: A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum will miss the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup for health reasons, USA Basketball announced. Washington Mystics teammates Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron have been brought in for the Sept. 4-13 tournament in Berlin, according to CBS Sports and Olympics.com.
The U.S. is still chasing a fifth straight World Cup title, Olympics.com reported. But the late switch strips the group of two proven international contributors and puts a sharper focus on defined roles from a roster with several World Cup first-timers.
How can Team USA adjust without A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum?
The most immediate task is sharing the work Wilson would have handled at both ends of the floor. She helped the U.S. win World Cup gold in 2018 and 2022, earned tournament MVP honors in 2022 and has led the Americans in scoring at their past three major competitions, CBS Sports reported.
No newcomer is being asked to duplicate that record. Instead, Team USA can spread frontcourt minutes and defensive responsibility among its established bigs, including Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Aliyah Boston and Angel Reese, while using Iriafen as added depth around the basket.
Iriafen has already played for the senior U.S. side, helping it through an undefeated World Cup qualifying run in Puerto Rico earlier this year, according to Olympics.com. That experience could matter quickly, especially against a tall opening opponent.
China’s listed front line includes 7-foot-3 Zhang Ziyu, 6-foot-10 Han Xu and 6-foot-7 Li Yueru, FOX5 Vegas reported. The Sept. 4 opener is therefore an early test of whether the Americans can protect the paint and rebound by committee without Wilson.
Plum leaves a different gap. CBS Sports reported that she was the Americans’ second-leading scorer at the 2022 World Cup, averaging 15.8 points per game behind Wilson. Phoenix has since ruled Plum out for the rest of the WNBA season with a lower-leg injury, CBS Sports said.
Her perimeter scoring and tournament familiarity will need to be absorbed across the guards and wings, a group that includes Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Kahleah Copper, Rhyne Howard and Citron. Citron will be making her senior national-team debut after missing the Puerto Rico qualifier through injury, FOX5 Vegas reported.
Where does Team USA’s experience come from now?
Stewart and Gray are the remaining players on the roster with both World Cup and Olympic experience, according to Olympics.com. They join Olympic medalists Collier, Young and Copper, while Clark, Bueckers, Reese, Howard and Boston are among the players set for their World Cup debuts, FOX5 Vegas reported.
That makes quick cohesion as important as any individual replacement. USA Basketball has not announced a tactical overhaul, but the roster composition points to a need for clear frontcourt rotations, shared scoring and steady decision-making from its veterans.
After China, the Americans face Italy on Sept. 6 and Czechia on Sept. 7 in Group D, CBS Sports reported. The knockout rounds follow, with the final scheduled for Sept. 13.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.