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Team USA begins its quest to win a fifth successive FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup on Friday with a group-stage matchup against China.
A talent-laden American side, already the most successful team in the competition's history, will tip off its quest for more history in Berlin, Germany. If the US is successful in its goal of retaining the World Cup, then one of its top players surely will be named MVP of the tournament, which begins Sept. 4 and runs through Sept. 13.
Below, we rank the five players most likely to be named World Cup MVP as Team USA begins a transition to a younger generation, led by Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
Ranking USA's best MVP candidates for FIBA World Cup
5. Angel Reese
Reese faces stiff competition for minutes in the United States frontcourt. But there is little doubt that she will be important to Team USA's fortunes. She's the best rebounder on the team and has built a Defensive Player of the Year case stateside. For Reese, the quality of the minutes will matter over the quantity.
4. Paige Bueckers
Bueckers is an efficient scorer and dynamic playmaker who has just guided the Dallas Wings to their first playoff berth in three years. She arrives in Germany with a lot of confidence, though a brutal fight for minutes at guard will affect her MVP candidacy. However, Kelsey Plum's departure from the team through injury will open up more minutes for Bueckers.
3. Napheesa Collier
A'ja Wilson's injury-prompted departure from the tournament is good news for Collier, whose usage should rise and accordingly net her some MVP consideration over the 10-day competition.
Collier missed the first 27 games of the season as she recovered from offseason ankle surgery. And since returning, she has looked more or less like the player who has twice finished as WNBA MVP runner-up behind Wilson.
Collier's shooting and defensive ability are game-changing. She's one of the country's best players and will be crucial to their success in Germany.
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 31, 20262. Breanna Stewart
Simply put, Stewart is this team's best and most accomplished player, and she is almost guaranteed to put up big numbers in a central role.
The New York Liberty star can do a bit of everything. She is having an MVP-caliber season of her own in the Big Apple, and it would be no surprise if she left Berlin with that honor following the conclusion of the World Cup.
— FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWWC) August 31, 20261. Caitlin Clark
If there is one player to watch at the World Cup, it is Clark. Five months ago, she was named MVP of the World Cup qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico, her first major action for the national team. We already know that international play agrees with her.
Given how well Clark has played for the Indiana Fever over the past six weeks, the three-time All-Star will enter the World Cup full of confidence and likely to secure a starting role. Clark is peaking at the right time, and a couple explosive scoring performances could nudge her past Stewart in the MVP race.
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 31, 2026More WNBA news:
- Stephanie White reveals when Team USA preparation begins after Fever win
- Why Team USA's A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum pulled out of FIBA World Cup at 11th hour
- Why Kelsey Plum's Mercury stint could be over after just 5 games
- Fever's Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell are at the center of an unprecedented WNBA award campaign
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