4 minSports
Clark and Reese to Share Court for U.S. at Women's World Cup
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will team up for the U.S. at the Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin, as the WNBA pauses for two weeks. The U.S. seeks a fifth straight title and a 31st consecutive win, with the pair's chemistry under scrutiny.
The United States women’s basketball team will rely on Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese to extend its global dominance at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin this September, a tournament that will force the longtime rivals to set aside their on-court history and play as teammates. The U.S. enters the competition having won four consecutive World Cups and carrying an active 30-game winning streak at the event. The two-week tournament will also interrupt the 2026 WNBA season, giving the league’s biggest stars a chance to represent their country before returning to their domestic teams.
Clark and Reese have been framed as adversaries since their college days, when their matchup in the 2023 national championship game between Iowa and LSU became a cultural flashpoint. Their rivalry continued through the 2024 NCAA Tournament and into the WNBA, where they finished as the top two contenders for Rookie of the Year. Every meeting, foul, and postgame comment has invited fans to pick a side. But the pair have also shown they can coexist on the same roster. Reese first expressed hope of being teammates with Clark in an October 2024 interview, and they played together at the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game, where Clark dished out 10 assists and Reese posted 12 points and 11 rebounds in Team WNBA’s win over the U.S. Olympic team.
In March, Clark and Reese helped the U.S. go 5-0 at the World Cup qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico. Clark earned tournament MVP honors after averaging 11.6 points and a tournament-leading 6.4 assists, while Reese averaged a team-high eight rebounds and shot 52.2% from the field. Reese emphasized the importance of team chemistry during that run. “Some of us have played with each other on our respective teams, but we have to come together and find your role,” she said. “Everybody’s not going to be able to do everything that they do on their respective team.”
The U.S. roster for Berlin also includes established champions A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Chelsea Gray. The team will be led by Sue Bird, the former national team captain who now serves as managing director and selected the 2026 roster. Bird has previously addressed the shift in expectations when players wear the USA jersey, noting that representing the country changes the context of their actions.
The World Cup also brings a new set of rules regarding the national anthem. Unlike the WNBA, where teams have varied pregame routines, USA Basketball’s code of conduct requires players to “demonstrate proper respect during the playing of the national anthem.” The code does not define what that means, but it gives USA Basketball authority to investigate and discipline violations. FIBA’s regulations for the World Cup prohibit political or ideological messages at the event, though they do not specifically address kneeling, silence, or hand placement. Past U.S. teams have stood together for the anthem at international competitions, including the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where players linked arms. The issue gained attention during the 2026 WNBA season after the Atlanta Dream remained in the locker room for the anthem before a game against the Indiana Fever, leaving Reese and Rhyne Howard off the court while Clark and her Fever teammates stood on the sideline.
As the U.S. prepares for Berlin, the focus will be on whether Clark and Reese can translate their individual brilliance into a cohesive team effort. The outcome could shape the atmosphere of the WNBA when the season resumes, with the pair’s ability to work together on the world stage likely to influence how fans and analysts view their relationship.
