The roster that will defend the United States’ dominant run of four consecutive FIBA Women’s World Cup victories when the global tournament tips off in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 4 has a fresh look.
Though all 12 players who are set to compete for Team USA have extensive experience with the national team, all but three are making their World Cup debuts.
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Even with the new additions, some of the highest performing American players in the WNBA were left off the roster. And that’s nothing new for Team USA, where training camps and qualifiers can’t be used as an indicator of whose name will be called for the biggest opportunities.
According to Sue Bird, a five-time Olympic and four-time World Cup gold medalist and the first Team USA Basketball managing director, the selection process isn’t an exact science.
“I wanted to have a mixture of people with experience, a good mixture of people with youth.” Bird told reporters when the roster was announced. “A team that complements each other and can go on the court and win gold, that’s always the north star in all these decisions that I’ve made.”
So, how did those decisions shake out and what do they mean for the future? Here’s everything you need to know about who was left off Team USA and why:
Who got snubbed originally?
In Bird’s words: “There’s so many players that have earned the right to be on (Team USA).”
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The group of those who fit that description but weren’t awarded a roster spot is headlined by Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu.
Miles, a 2026 All-Star with a nearly guaranteed Rookie of the Year win, has garnered MVP praise as she averages 19.7 points and six assists per game. Those accolades weren’t enough for the 23-year-old point guard to make the team, as Bird reiterated that multiple factors were considered in the roster-building process, including how a player might fit in Team USA head coach Kara Lawson’s system.
“Olivia is a tremendous player. So much fun to watch. It’s been amazing watching her grow in this league. She’s such a great young player,” Bird said when asked about Miles’ case to make the team. “She’s played with USA basketball before. She will undoubtedly be in the mix for teams in the future.”
Ionescu, 28, won gold with Team USA at the 2022 World Cup and at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She was even cited as taking Vanderbilt star Mikayla Blakes under her wing during April’s Team USA training camp in Phoenix.
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Team USA qualified for the 2026 World Cup thanks to Blakes, who led a team of college stars to victory in the 2025 AmeriCup last summer in Santiago, Chile. Blakes scored 27 points to thwart Brazil 92-84 in the qualifier as Miles recorded nine assists to facilitate the offense. Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo, Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke and South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards all also shined in that game, but Blakes was the only one of that group to participate in April’s Team USA camp.
Although Bird said training camps were an important evaluation tool for building the roster, she added that there’s “no rule” requiring players to participate in them in order to make Team USA.
“For Sabrina, a player that has already been on this team, she understands what it is to wear the jersey,” Bird said. “It’s not a reflection of who they are as players. It’s about making choices for those that I think are going to be part of the (roster) to win a gold medal and complement each other.”
Other WNBA players who didn’t make the cut but participated in Team USA camp in April include Veronica Burton, Monique Billings, Stefanie Dolson and Rae Burrell.
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Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas and Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner — who were also on the 2024 Paris Olympics roster — didn’t make the team, either.
Omitted from the roster as well: Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, the league’s No. 2 leading scorer amid a historic season. That said, she only has experience with Team USA at the senior level in the 3×3 format.
Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles shoots the ball while defended by New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu.
Who got added to the roster and why?
An already star-studded roster was initially a little shinier when four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum were announced as part of its first iteration last month.
Then, it was announced on Aug. 31 that neither would be able to play for Team USA in Germany due to health reasons. Washington Mystics pair Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen were named replacements.
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There were no specifics regarding Plum and Wilsons injuries in the news release from Team USA.
Wilson was also the MVP of the 2022 World Cup. She is poised to win another WNBA MVP a with league-leading average of 26 points per game despite playing through multiple injuries this season. She was listed as questionable for the Las Vegas Aces’ recent win over the Toronto Tempo with a back issue, but she still took the court to record 27 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Wilson also dealt with a leg injury earlier this season, which sidelined her for the Commissioner’s Cup championship.
Meanwhile, Plum has been ruled out for the remainder of the WNBA season with a lower leg injury. The 32-year-old – who has helped Team USA win a pair of World Cups – was traded just before the WNBA’s deadline from the Los Angeles Sparks to the Phoenix Mercury. She only appeared in five games for the Mercury due to her injury.
How will this tournament affect the 2028 Olympic roster?
Resist the urge to use this World Cup roster as predictor of who might represent the United States during the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
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“I’m not thinking about LA in any concrete way,” Bird said when the roster was announced. “This is not an indicator of what’s going to happen two years from now. Two years — so much can happen.”
Player health and experience are two of the many variables that will come into play from now until then. For a great example of this idea, look at the group of participants for the December USA Basketball camp held in Durham, North Carolina, which included USC Trojans college star JuJu Watkins, Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Lauren Betts and more.
In two years, the statuses of all those players could be wildly different, leaving Bird with a completely different talent pool. A healthy Watkins for example, would headline a group of players transitioning from college to the pros. Players like Brink and Jackson should also be recovered from injuries. Gray will be 35.
Future participation from players like A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Napheesa Collier and Paige Bueckers, seems like a given, but nothing is guaranteed as things change for Team USA hopefuls and returners as the next global competition approaches.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How was the Team USA FIBA World Cup built? Who got snubbed?
