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Caitlin Clark and Sonia Citron to Debut for Team USA After WNBA Stars Are Ruled Out
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- Caitlin Clark and Sonia Citron to Debut for Team USA After WNBA Stars Are Ruled Out
Caitlin Clark and Team USA suffered two major blows right before the start of the FIBA Women's World Cup. This comes in the form of A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum both being ruled out for the tournament , which is scheduled from Sept. 4 to 13 in Berlin, Germany.
Wilson played through a back injury in the Las Vegas Aces' last two games. The three-time WNBA champion is widely regarded as the best player in the world. She is the reigning MVP from the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics. Replacing her in the lineup is Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen.
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Plum, on the other hand, has been battling injuries throughout the season. The five-time All-Star has been limited to 17 games this year between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Phoenix Mercury. She will be replaced by Mystics guard Sonia Citron.
FIBA took to social media to share an update involving Clark following the unfortunate WNBA news. The world governing body for basketball highlighted the Indiana Fever superstar's partnership with Citron ahead of the tournament in Berlin.
"Caitlin Clark and Sonia Citron are set to make their #FIBAWWC debuts in Berlin 👏" FIBA posted on Instagram.
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Clark and Citron spearheaded Team USA's championship run in the FIBA Under 19 Women's World Cup in 2021. Both players were named to the All-Star 5, with Clark winning the tournament's MVP award.
Clark averaged 14.3 points, 5.6 assists and 2.9 triples per game. Citron, on the other hand, put up 13.7 points and 2.9 assists per contest. Team USA went undefeated en route to its ninth championship in the U19 tournament.
Clark and Citron are now set to make their senior debuts for the national squad on the biggest stage of them all. They will look to replicate their success in the U19 tournament five years ago, this time at the senior level.
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It is Clark who is expected to play a bigger role for the U.S. She is coming off an MVP win in the qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico in March.
Team USA is the overwhelming favorite to go all the way. Their World Cup campaign starts on Friday against China.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
