Game Info: USA vs. China | Friday, Sept. 4 | 8:15 a.m. ET | Berlin, Germany
How to watch: TNT, truTV and HBO Max
Team USA begins their 2026 Women's Basketball World Cup title defense today against China in a rematch of the 2022 World Cup final. The United States enters the tournament as four-time defending champions and has not lost a World Cup game since falling to Russia in 2006.
However, this year's team looks younger and less experienced than the dominant teams of the past, with six players under 25 and just five players with previous World Cup experience. Veterans Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Jackie Young are still playing at an elite level, but the roster also features plenty of rising superstars, including Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Angel Reese.
China will be led by the two tallest players in the tournament: 6'8" Han Xu and 7'3" Zhang Ziyu, who is eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft. They also have dynamic 6'0" guard Shuyu Zang, who averaged 10.6 points and 5.4 assists over five games in the Qualifying Tournament. China will be without one of their best players, though, as Li Yueru will miss the World Cup after her passport was lost in the mail.
Stay tuned for live updates, highlights and analysis throughout the game.
1 Total Post
Team USA has announced their starting lineup for the first game of the tournament against China, and they are going with a veteran-heavy group:
Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Kahleah Copper, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart
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