A new era for USA Women’s Basketball is dawning in Puerto Rico, with a roster stacked with the sport’s brightest young superstars. The FIBA World Cup qualifiers are upon us, and this will be the first time we will witness some star senior national team debuts, including those of Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark. But did the charismatic Angel Reese also punch her ticket to Puerto Rico?

Is Angel Reese playing in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 qualifiers?

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is eager to make her mark in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. Having followed the USA women’s basketball for a long time, this was a dream she had been hoping to fulfill in her basketball career, and now she will get the chance to do so.

“I’ve watched USA basketball for a long time. I think it’s an honor to be able to be a part of this. Every little opportunity I’m gonna just maximize, and hopefully one day I can be able to play on the 2028 team (at the Olympics),” she said to the reporters.

The World Cup is her present goal, and the ultimate goal is to represent the team in the 2028 Olympics. Coming off an All-Star showing in 2025 with  14.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 45.8 percent, she is on a hot streak.

Team USA will play its opening game against Senegal on March 11th, and Angel will look to impress her fans with her performance.

Why are the 2026 World Cup qualifiers important for Angel Reese and Team USA?

While Team USA has already qualified for the World Cup, these games are far from meaningless; pride is still on the line.

Whenever the USA plays, they have to make it clear that they are still the standard-bearers. The USA is still the top-ranked team in the world rankings with 880.9 points to their name, leading Australia 719.6 and France 719.2 by over 100 pts and they don’t want to give up that spot.

This is an era of transition where the legends have retired, and we have a new blend of the new and the old coming together, so chemistry is key, and this will be the combination used in the USA women’s basketball for the next few years.

Angel Reese knows that doing well here will bring her the spotlight and elevate her career to a whole new level. She will greatly benefit from the exposure, potentially boosting endorsement opportunities and strengthening the WNBA’s international profile. She won’t just be remembered as a great college basketball star or a sensational player, but a legendary national player, too, and that provides powerful motivation.

How to watch Angel Reese’s Games in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers?

With over 5.2 million followers on Instagram and 700k followers on X, Angel Reese happens to be one of the most followed women’s athletes on the planet. The beloved Bayou Barbie does not cower under the bright lights but embraces them and makes it her own, and this has been evident right from her college playing days at LSU, where her rivalry with another star, Caitlin Clark, became a massive storyline.

However, this time around, there won’t be any room for hostility as both Clark and Reese will be on the same side.

So if you are planning to watch these games, you can tune into TNT, TBS, TruTV, as well as the streaming service HBO Max to follow your favorite stars in action. Fans hoping to catch Reese and Team USA in action will have several chances over the next week.

After their opening game against Senegal on March 11th ( 4 p.m ET), the four-time consecutive World Cup winners will take on hosts Puerto Rico on March 12, Italy on March 14, New Zealand on March 15, and Spain on March 17. For the record, the game against Spain will be on TNT, while the rest will be on truTV.

Angel Reese is expected to play all the games. Aliyah Boston’s injury might force coach Kara Lawson to play Reese in all the games. With Senegal and their physical interior playing style, her rebounding can come in clutch, same with Italy, where she would be key in breaking down the tactical European defense.

Spain is the 6th-ranked team in the world, and that will be another marquee matchup where she would be expected to exploit the paint to the fullest. The fans will also get to see how Clark (guard) and Reese (forward) gel together, and that will be the icing on the cake.