First it was Sami Whitcomb
. Now it is Alanna Smith. Australia simply cannot catch a break at this World Cup.
The Opals entered the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup already dealing with the shock of replacing their captain Sami Whitcomb at the last minute. Now their journey in the tournament has taken another damaging turn with the injury of Alanna Smith.
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As shared in a Basketball Australia post on Wednesday
, the Dallas Wings
star has been officially ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup. The lower-leg injury she suffered against Puerto Rico raised enough concern to end her tournament prematurely. As shared in the post, "A period of rest and testing has been provided since, but ultimately a decision to withdraw Smith is necessary."
The injury happened on September 4, 2026, during the second quarter of Australia's opening 70-54 group-stage win over Puerto Rico. Alanna Smith
had been dominating the game up to that point, putting up 10 points and eight rebounds in just 12 minutes. However, after battling for a contested defensive rebound, she ended up limping off the court with an injury and did not return to the game again.
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Basketball Australia initially categorized her second-half absence as precautionary lower-leg tightness. However, further evaluations led the national team to announce on Wednesday that she will now have to sit out the rest of the tournament to focus on rehabilitation.
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With Sami Whitcomb
already absent before the tournament even began, the road ahead for Australia was already more difficult than it should be. They've, in fact, lost their last group-stage game against Belgium after defeating Turkey 87-71 in their second game. They will now be facing Italy in the next round, a game that will definitely be demanding, especially given Italy's performances that proved it can compete with the best at this tournament after pushing Team USA to 55-52 in the group stage. Facing them without Smith will demand a collective step up from the entire Opals roster.
The more unsettling aspect of the situation is that there is currently no official timeline for Smith's return. So while Australia will be navigating the knockout rounds shorthanded, the Dallas Wings will also be facing an unclear picture regarding her availability as the WNBA playoff race enters its most critical stretch.
The reigning Co-Defensive Player of the Year has already experienced an injury-riddled campaign, seeing a more limited role than anticipated after signing a lucrative max contract in the offseason. She previously missed time due to concussion protocol in June, followed by a right-leg injury in July. But in the midst of that, she had still managed to contribute for the Wings, averaging 6.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game.
For the Wings heading into the WNBA playoffs after the World Cup break, Smith's availability could prove pivotal. They will need all the firepower they can assemble if they are to make a meaningful postseason run, and a healthy Smith is a significant piece of what that requires.
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As of right now, Alanna Smith has not made a public comment or personal statement regarding the lower-leg injury that ended her World Cup run. But what appears to be within her control now is to focus on her medical rehabilitation and hopefully recover before the WNBA break ends on September 17. This means that she has a window of just over a week to prioritize her recovery without missing additional WNBA regular-season games.
In the meantime, she will be contributing whatever support she can to the Opals from the sideline. Hopefully her absence will not be felt too heavily when Australia face Italy in their next game, though replacing a player of her calibre, especially in a knockout fixture, was never going to be easy.
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