The world’s top female basketball players will gather in Australia later this month for the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup, which takes place from September 22 to October 1.
Team USA, the current and former dominant force in the sport, is the clear favorite to win the event; the Americans have a record 10 World Cup gold medals and are vying for their fourth straight championship. The USA haven’t lost a game in the competition after failing to Russia in the semifinal back in 2006.
Schedule
Group A includes Team USA, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and China. They will play each team once, with a win earning them two points and a tie earning them one. To proceed to the knockout round, the Americans must place in the top four of their group.
Preliminary round
USA vs. Belgium on Wednesday 21st September at 9:30 p.m. ET
USA vs. Puerto Rico on Thursday 22nd September at 8:30 p.m. ET
USA vs. China on Saturday 24th September at 12:30 a.m. ET
USA vs. South Korea on Monday 26th September at 12:00 a.m. ET
USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday 28th September at 12:00 a.m. ET
You can catch live actions on ESPN.
Roster
Until the end of the WNBA Finals, Team USA held off on announcing their final lineup. Stars from the Connecticut Sun and Las Vegas Aces would probably not have been in the lineup if the series had reached a conclusive Game 5. As it turned out, the Aces finished the job in four games and captured their first championship.
A’ja Wilson, the regular season MVP and defensive player of the year, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, triple-double pioneer Alyssa Thomas, and sixth-player of the year Brionna Jones all made the roster once it was finalized. If those Finals stars couldn’t travel to Australia, it would have been interesting to see the squad.
This national squad will already have a fresh perspective as it stands. Legendary players like Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Sylvia Fowles, and Diana Taurasi have reached retirement age, while Napheesa Collier is still recovering from her pregnancy, Skylar Diggins-Smith has taken a break from basketball for personal reasons, and Brittney Griner is still being held detained in Russia.
With this team, only Ariel Atkins, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart, and A’ja Wilson won a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics. Of course, starting any lineup with the top two players in the world, the MVP of the most recent Finals, and two other All-Stars is a fantastic idea.
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