When it comes to international women's basketball, Team USA feels like an inevitability. The last time the women's team didn't win Olympic gold, for example, was in 1992, and the last time Team USA didn't win the FIBA World Cup was in 2006.
But that coukd, in theory, change in 2026. Team USA's best player, A'ja Wilson, was a late scratch for the tournament as she isn't at 100 percent, and her absence could pose issues for Team USA. These four teams are best positioned to take advantage.
France
France has to break through, one of these days. While the team has just one World Cup medal ever — bronze back in 1953 — the French side has made the final four in the Olympics four times in a row and just came as close as anyone has in decades to stopping Team USA in that event, losing 67-66 in the 2024 gold medal game.
This French team is loaded. Gabby Williams is the key, a high-level defender who has shown she can shoulder the scoring load when needed. Her Valkyries teammate Janelle Salaun can take on some of that scoring load as well.
France's guard depth is probably its biggest strength, as the team has Carla Leite, Marine Joahnnes, Leila Lacan and Pauline Astier, who are all starter or high-end bench pieces in the WNBA. Being able to rotate those players in and out to keep them fresh is a huge advantage over, well...every team that isn't Team USA.
Where I'm concerned is with the lack of size on this roster. Dominique Malonga is the starting center, but she's the only player on the roster over 6-foot-3. Malonga has to stay on the floor as much as possible for this French team to live up to the hype and deliver a medal — possibly a gold — for France.
Belgium
With Emma Meesseman sitting out this WNBA season, she once again holds the title of "best player in the world to not be playing in the WNBA." Meesseman is built for international ball and is, without a doubt, the single most important player in this entire tournament. If the 33-year-old plays like she has in the past, Belgium has a chance.
Beyond Meesseman, the two Julies highlight this roster: Vanloo and Allemand. The two give the team a high-performing backcourt with more scoring and playmaking upside, and that makes this team hard to face.
Look: Belgium isn't a star-studded roster like Team USA and France. It's one great player and then a lot of parts who work really, really well with that great player. It's an experienced roster that very much knows how to win games together, and that's what makes Belgium really scary.
Australia
Australia's chances of winning the FIBA World Cup took a hit with Sami Whitcomb ruled out due to a knee injury. Losing someone who has been as good as Whitcomb at international ball — news flash, if you don't pay attention to international play: Whitcomb is at a different level in these games than she is in the WNBA — really hurts.
But I do think there's still some intrigue here, especially with Wilson out for Team USA, since Australia's strength without Whitcomb is its frontcourt, where the team has Ezi Magbegor and Alanna Smith. Smith's struggles with the Dallas Wings this season make her a little less scary than she might have been otherwise, but she's been playing her best basketball recently.
The concern for Australia is simply that without Whitcomb, the team won't have the offensse to compete here. Stephanie Talbot in particular is someone who will need to step up, and we'll have to see if that can happen at this point in her career. The pieces are there, but probably more for creating a competitive game than actually taking down Team USA.
Spain
Finally, we have Spain, a team that feels underrated here. In fact, I might be a few years too early on this one, but Spain has the makings of a future powerhouse.
That's because the team has a very strong foundation going forward with a pair of 20-year-old stars. Awa Fam is currently showing in Seattle why she deserved to be a lottery pick, while Iyana Martin was selected in the first round this year by Portland, though she hasn't come over to the WNBA yet.
The team also has a lot of talent up in the frontcourt with Megan DiLeo and Raquel Carrera. Where I'd be worried is the backcourt, where the team will probably have to lean too heavily on the 20-year-old Martin. Someone like Maite Cazorla needs to step up, and the team will also need its 37-year-old captain Alba Torrens to turn back the clocks a bit. Still, there's a ton of talent here and anything can happen over the course of a tournament like this one.
Add us as a preferred source on Google