Team USA’s schedule for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament: When does Caitlin Clark play next?

The United States women’s basketball team began their defense of the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Puerto Rico with Caitlin Clark’s long-awaited return to the court adding extra spice to the occasion.

Clark had been sidelined with a groin injury for over eight months. She played just under half an hour of the Fever’s 86-77 win against the Connecticut Sun in July 2025 - her last competitive appearance.

The Indiana Fever guard is one of the 12 players named on the Team USA roster for the qualifying tournament which gets underway later today in Puerto Rico.

Kara Lawson’s team is competing in tournament B alongside the hosts, New Zealand, Senegal, Spain and Italy. The six teams will play each other once in a single round-robin format, with the top four teams advancing to September’s World Cup. All of tournament B‘s games are held at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan.

First up for Team USA was Senegal. Clark scored 17 points with 4-of-5 shooting to help get the win 110-46. Next up was Puerto Rico. Team USA dominated again and won 91-48. Their third game was against Italy that was another lopsided event: 93-59. And things got even worse for New Zealand, losing 101-46 against might Team USA.

Clark has got plenty of playing time

Caitlin Clark made her return in the first game against Senegal. “It’ll probably take me a second to knock a little bit of the rust off,” she said. “I’ll probably be a little bit nervous, which I usually don’t get nervous, but that probably just will come from, you know, I haven’t really played basketball in a while. I’m sure after the first minute of running around on the court, I’ll be just fine. But more than anything, just really excited.”

The action continues on Tuesday, March 17, when the United States winds up their successful participation in the international tournament when they take on Spain.

The first four of Team USA team games were aired on HBO Max and TruTV. The fifth and final game against Spain will be shown on TNT.

Related stories

March Madness

The perfect bracket exists...almost

March Madness

March Madness' average championship game score

Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.