Team USA has won all four of the last FIBA World Cups, but it seems like their quest for a fifth consecutive title could be harder than they had expected. Just days before the 2026 FIBA World Cup, Team USA suffered a big blow. Alexa Philippou of ESPN broke the news on Monday that both Las Vegas Aces star and MVP frontrunner A’ja Wilson and Phoenix Mercury star Kelsey Plum had pulled themselves out of the World Cup, citing health.

The team wasted no time and announced Washington Mystics players Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron as their replacements for Wilson and Plum.

“Breaking: Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson will no longer compete for Team USA at the upcoming FIBA Women’s World Cup due to health reasons, USA Basketball announced. The Mystics’ Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron have been named to the roster in their place,” Philippou wrote on X.

Wilson has been the primary option for the Aces on both ends for the last few seasons. On the other hand, Plum has been dealing with a calf injury that has kept her away from the hardcourt for most of the season, with Plum appearing for only 17 regular-season games so far.

As for Washington’s Kiki Iriafen, playing for her national team is nothing new. She represented Team USA in San Juan, Puerto Rico, during the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament. Iriafen averaged 5.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in five games.

Citron will make her senior USA Basketball debut in Berlin after being added to the World Cup roster. While she has not previously played for the senior national team at a World Cup, the Washington Mystics guard has an established USA Basketball résumé: she attended the USA Women’s National Team training camp in December 2025 and won gold with the 2021 USA U19 World Cup Team and the 2019 USA U16 National Team. Citron also earned All-Star Five honors at the 2021 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup, where she helped the United States win the title.

The United States had learned its World Cup path months earlier, when the April draw placed the defending champions in Group D alongside China, Italy and Czechia. Team USA will open the tournament against China on September 4, before facing Italy and Czechia in the remaining group-stage games. Finishing first in the group would send the Americans directly to the quarterfinals, while second- and third-place finishers must first play a qualification-round game.

The pursuit of a fifth straight World Cup title follows the United States’ bronze-medal finish at the 2006 FIBA Women’s World Championship in Brazil. The Americans, then two-time defending champions, lost to Russia in the semifinals before beating host nation Brazil 99-59 in the bronze-medal game. They have since won the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 editions, and will try to extend that streak in Berlin.

Two of the stars pulling their names from the roster is a big blow to the team given their caliber, but that doesn’t take away their status as favorites. Team USA still features elite players like Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Kahleah Copper. 

Wilson is among the best players in the world who won three of her four MVP awards in the last four years, and is versatile enough to shine on both ends of the floor. Plum is one of the purest scorers in the league, with an ability to score from any position. Without them, the chasm between Team USA and the second-best team at the World Cup decreased.

The 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup runs from September 4 through September 13 in Berlin. The 16-team tournament concludes with the third-place game and final on September 13, when Team USA could have the chance to secure a fifth consecutive World Cup crown.