If there is a conversation that dominates the WNBA more than anything, it’s the rivalry between Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese. Both players have been pushed against each other since their college days, and the comparisons only got more fiery when they entered the league. But with the 2026 FIBA World Cup underway, that conversation has taken a back seat as they have teamed up to help Team USA win a fifth consecutive gold medal. And perhaps nothing shows how different their relationship looks on the international stage more than Clark’s latest admission about her former rival.

“We’re both fiery, fiery competitors and we want to win, and it’s one of the things I really admire about her game,” Clark said in an interview with the Associated Press. “She’s competitive, and she has a tremendous motor, like she has one of the best motors in the league. She works just as hard as anybody on the court. So, it’s been fun to be able to play with her.”

Team USA entered this tournament with seven players making their World Cup debuts. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were two of them as they look to continue the win streak the stars before them have built. And so far, the new generation has given the Americans plenty of reason to believe the streak is in good hands.

The tournament is currently in its quarterfinal stage, with USA all set to lock horns with Hungary on Thursday. The Americans went 3-0 in the Group Stage, with wins over China, Italy, and Czechia. Clark and Reese have both played a major role in helping USA navigate the group stage unbeaten.

Caitlin Clark leads the team with 6.3 assists per game. In her debut against China on Sept. 4, she recorded 11 assists, the most by a USA player on debut. Moreover, Clark also became the first player in Women’s World Cup history to record 10 assists without a single turnover. Incidentally, it was Reese whom she found with her 10th assist.

Meanwhile, Reese has quickly established herself as one of the team’s strongest rebounders, grabbing the ball at an average of six times per game. She has also been relentless on defense, averaging 1.3 steals and one block.

With a team that has a mix of veterans and younger stars, head coach Kara Lawson is using a veteran-heavy starting lineup that carries a 34+ net rating. However, a lineup featuring Clark, Reese, Paige Bueckers, Rhyne Howard, and Aliyah Boston has posted a 76+ net rating. So there is little doubt that two players widely viewed as arch-rivals in the WNBA are clicking together on the international stage.

But now, they have to navigate deeper waters together. The FIBA World Cup is in its knockout stage, and after the Americans almost fell to Italy in their second group-stage game, recording their lowest scoring total since the three-point line was introduced in 1984, Team USA will need to stay alert.

If they beat Hungary, they will move to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of a matchup between Australia and Spain. But neither of those teams would still be Team USA’s biggest challenge.

France has moved to the top spot in FIBA’s power rankings and is widely expected to make a deep run, especially after its record-breaking game against Nigeria, where they scored 22 three-pointers. If everything goes as expected, the Americans and Les Bleus could meet in the final, giving France a chance to settle an old score from the 2024 Olympics.

So for Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, the next challenge is no longer about proving they can play alongside one another. They have already done that. Now, they have a chance to show just how dangerous that chemistry can become when the stakes are at their highest, and when Team USA has a 33-game World Cup winning streak to defend that goes back to 2006.