There’s no shortage of excitement as the court awaits its first national tournament of the year. Team USA and its stars will be in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 qualifiers. The roster announcement for the tournament has added more weight and meaning, as it features global stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in the mix, along with usual suspects like Kelsey Plum.

Thus, for many, the question may arise: whether the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers, features in this qualifying tournament? Without wasting any time, let’s dig deeper ahead of the first game just hours away.

Is Paige Bueckers playing in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 qualifiers?

Yes, Bueckers is all set to don the US jersey No.4 at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifiers. The Dallas Wings guard is part of the 12-player roster and has already joined the national team’s camp for several training sessions as she looks to get a feel for playing with her new teammates.

Bueckers expressed her emotions about playing for the national team just a few days ahead of the tournament.

“It’s the highest level of basketball, and it’s the senior national team,” Bueckers said. “It’s what you work for when you’re younger. You play U16, U17 to build that relationship and foundation of what you want in your long, extended relationship with USA Basketball. So, to be there at the highest level with Olympic legends leading the way, you’re really grateful for it.”

Notably, it will be Bueckers’ first senior national-team competition. The US team, along with Bueckers, will face five teams in this tournament: Senegal, Puerto Rico, Italy, New Zealand, and Spain.

Why are the 2026 World Cup qualifiers important for Paige Bueckers and Team USA?

The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 qualifiers are the major qualifying tournament for the actual World Cup, scheduled for September in Germany (4-13). For the US national team, though, they have already qualified for the tournament, having won their Continental tournament, the AmeriCup. Yet despite that, the US National team has many objectives to fulfill.

For instance, it’s the first time the selectors have included Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese on the national team. Thus, being already qualified for the tournament suggests that the management has some flexibility to give these players time and opportunity to gel with their teammates before the games in Germany, where a lot more will be on the line for the team, and the competition will be all the more tough.

The USBWNT is one of the most dominant teams in World Cup history. They have won 11 World Cups over the years, including the last four in a row. Thus, the September event is a source of pride and an opportunity to sustain their dominance in the international circuit. And subsequently, the crux of the team’s responsibility will rest on young players like Clark and Bueckers, starting with the qualifiers in Puerto Rico.

Bueckers has already represented the national team at several youth levels: the FIBA Americas U16 Championship, the FIBA U17 World Cup, and the FIBA U19 World Cup. Additionally, success for Bueckers has come very organically at the high school and collegiate levels with UConn, and at the pro level with the Dallas Wings.

Thus, with sustained success at these levels, Bueckers will be eager to replicate it at the senior national level, tipping off with the World Cup qualifiers this week and eventually the World Cup in September.

How to watch Paige Bueckers’s Games in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers?

Under the exclusive broadcasting deal between TNT Sports and FIBA, FIBA holds the English-language broadcasting rights for the tournament. For Paige Bueckers and Team USA games, fans can tune in on TNT, TruTV, and HBO Max. Specifically, four of the initial five Bueckers matches in the tournament will be broadcast on TruTV and HBO Max.

On the contrary, Team USA’s final game against Spain will be available for the fans on TNT and HBO Max. Additionally, FIBA’s Courtside 1891 will be another source where the fans can catch Bueckers hoop in the tournament. TNT Sports’ Bleacher Report and House of Highlights are two other digital platforms where updates and highlights of Bueckers from the tournament will be available.

Being one of the most in-form backcourt players, it will be very hard for head coach Kara Lawson to keep Paige Bueckers away from the rotations. But there are a couple of crucial matchups that the Dallas Wings guard will look forward to. The opening game of the tournament against Senegal on March 11 is the first. For all money, Bueckers will make her debut in this game.

Thus, it will be interesting to see how Bueckers dominates the national team’s backcourt alongside counterpart Caitlin Clark. The Wings guard is coming into the tournament following a dominant 2025 WNBA and 2026 Unrivaled season. As a result, there will be no lack of hype around Bueckers’ performance on the court, right from this Senegal game.

Besides, the Italy game on March 14 and the Spain game on March 17 are two other games where the national team will seek to make extensive use of Bueckers’ skill set. The US does have a 10-0 dominant advantage over Spain. But they haven’t faced Italy since the 1979 World Championships, which poses a different sort of challenge for them.