NEW YORK – Seven former women’s basketball players from current BIG EAST programs will represent five different countries at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, set for Sept. 4-13 in Berlin, Germany.
Former UConn stars Paige Bueckers, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart will represent the United States. UConn alum Gabby Williams will compete for France and Dorka Juhász will suit up for Hungary. Former Georgetown player Brianna Jones will represent Puerto Rico, while Providence alumna Grace Efosa will compete for Nigeria.
The United States enters the tournament as the defending champion and will seek its fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup gold medal. Bueckers and Collier will both make their World Cup debuts, while Stewart will make her fourth World Cup appearance.
Bueckers capped her UConn career by leading the Huskies to the 2025 NCAA Championship and earning BIG EAST Player of the Year honors for the third time before being selected No. 1 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings. The 2026 World Cup will mark Bueckers’ first appearance in the senior FIBA World Cup after previously earning international gold with USA Basketball at the youth level.
Collier, a three-time All-American and 2016 national champion at UConn, returns to the USA Basketball roster after helping the United States capture Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games. Stewart, one of the most decorated players in UConn history, brings extensive international experience to the U.S. roster. A three-time World Cup champion, Stewart won gold with Team USA in 2014, 2018 and 2022. Her fourth World Cup appearance will place her among just three U.S. players to compete in at least four editions of the event.
Williams will represent France, continuing a successful international career with Les Bleues. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she led France in scoring, assists and steals as the team advanced to the gold-medal game.
Juhász will make her FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup debut for Hungary. The former Husky was named to the All-Star Five at the 2026 World Cup Qualifying Tournament after helping Hungary secure its place in the field.
Jones, a member of the Puerto Rican national team, brings previous FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup experience to the roster, having represented Puerto Rico at the 2022 World Cup.
Efosa will represent Nigeria, becoming the second player in Providence program history to play in a FIBA World Cup, joining Jovana Nogic, who competed for Serbia in the 2022 event.
The 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup features 16 national teams competing in Berlin, with the tournament tipping off Sept. 4 and concluding with the championship game on Sept. 13. For more information, visit FIBA’s official
site.