MINNEAPOLIS — As the WNBA hits the pause button for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin, there will still be plenty of Lynx-adjacent basketball playing out on the world’s stage.
Lynx head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve may be enjoying her first international ‘break’ in some time as Kara Lawson has taken over the head coaching duties for USA Basketball, but Minnesota is sending a sizable contingent to Berlin.
A total of seven Lynx players will be with their national teams for the tournament: Chloe Bibby (Australia), Napheesa Collier (USA), Emma Čechová and Eliska Joklová (Czechia), Atonia Delaere (Belgium), Dorka Juhász (Hungary), and the newly-signed development contract player Elena Buenavida (Spain). Čechová is still rehabbing from the torn ACL she suffered in May, but will be present with Team Czechia for the duration of the tournament.
Collier and Team USA
This was always going to be a difficult tournament for the Americans, who have long had a big bold ‘X’ marked across their backs by a strong group of international teams who would love nothing more than to knock them off their perch. A big challenge got even bigger with the news that Team USA will now be playing without back-to-back WNBA MVP and the leading scorer of the 2024 Olympics, A’ja Wilson.
No matter how you weave the story, there’s no world in which missing a player of Wilson’s caliber is a good thing. But if there’s ever been a team suited to do it, it’s this edition of USA Basketball. Both Collier and her fellow UConn legend Breanna Stewart started alongside Wilson in the frontcourt to end all frontcourts at the ‘24 Olympics. Lawson could lean on one or both to slide over a spot to help fill the void. She’ll also have plenty of options among the tournament newcomers in the Team USA frontcourt. Aliyah Boston, Kiki Iriafen, and Angel Reese are all in the fold, making them one of the deepest and most versatile frontcourts in the tournament even without Wilson.
For Collier specifically, it’s a chance for the two-time Olympic gold medalist to add even more lines to her international basketball resume and continue ramping up for the WNBA Playoffs. Collier returned to the Lynx just before the All-Star break and has played in 12 games this season. As Collier rehabbed from multiple ankle surgeries before the start of the 2026 season, making it back in time to be part of the team representing USA Basketball in Berlin was a top priority.
“It was always a goal. I wanted to be able to make sure that I was back before they were making their selections and make sure that I felt good,” Collier said to reporters after being named to the team in early August. “It was definitely a goal of mine to be on the team. I kept [USA Basketball] up to date throughout the whole thing; they were wishing me a healthy recovery, telling me to take my time, all those things, [we’ve] just been in communication on how I’m feeling and timeline on stuff.”
This will be Collier’s first time participating in the Women’s World Cup. She missed the last time the tournament was held in 2022 after giving birth to her daughter, Mila.
“When you have the opportunity to play for your country with the best players in the world, it just means a lot,” she said. “…It’s a time for all the best players in the world to come together and play for your country, which is a huge honor. Anytime I get to wear that across my chest, I’m really excited to do it and this time is no different.”
Of the players joining Collier in Berlin, many will be playing on an international stage as big as the World Cup for the first time. In the past few years, Collier has grown from a player making her own debut at the Tokyo Olympics to one of USA Basketball’s elder stateswomen, a role that comes with more responsibility and pressure, but still a role she relishes.
“Your role changes throughout the years,” Collier said. “When I was on [my] first Olympic team, there was really no pressure. I knew I wasn’t playing a lot of minutes and I was there to support and go in when Coach needed me to. As you grow, your role changes and it’s more pressure, but it’s an amazing pressure because you know it’s younger people looking up to you, as I looked up to my older Olympic vets and continuing the culture of what it means to be a USA basketball player.”
The USA’s group schedule features games against China, Italy, and Czechia and Joklová, guaranteeing at least one game where Collier will match up against a fellow Lynx.
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Juhász paving the way for Hungary
Perhaps no one has been looking forward to their upcoming national team duty more than Juhász, who led the March qualifying tournament in scoring with 18 points per game, leading to Hungary qualifying for the FIBA World Cup for the first time in 28 years.
Hungary came within a heartbreaking whisper of qualifying for the 2024 Olympics and Juhász has remained steadfast in her belief that Hungary can be a difference-maker on a global stage.
“The Olympic qualifying was tough, super tough, then we had another disappointment in not making it to EuroBasket,” Juhász said to reporters on Minnesota’s media day, May 3. “I think this time it was a little bit more personal. I also took some steps in the leadership role. I was like, I don’t want to go through that feeling again. Obviously, the odds aren’t always with us. It’s been what, 26 years since Hungary was in the World Cup…I just had this clear focus that I’m going to make sure I do everything in my power to take the team to the World Cup.”
Juhász averaged 18 points and nine rebounds in the aforementioned qualifying tournament, which took place in Istanbul, the same city where she had been playing overseas for Turkish giants Galatasaray.
“We had a great team, we had so much fun playing together,” Juhász said. “These past years, we’ve had a lot of disappointment and heartbreak, so I think everybody took that kind of personal.”
The Hungarians have their work cut out for them in Berlin. They face off against one of the tournament favorites, France, in their first game. They’ll also play Korea and Nigeria in Group B.
“I’m super excited to be in Berlin in September,” Juhász added on media day. “It’s always so much joy and pride for me to wear that jersey. It just means a lot, representing the whole country and they’re supporting you.”
Opals looking to stay on the podium
Australia also has a major void to fill, as the Opals will be without one of their best scorers and Qualifying Tournament MVP Sami Whitcomb. Replacing a player of Whitcomb’s caliber and scoring prowess will likely come from the collective, but Bibby’s confidence and ability to hit shots from deep make her a prime candidate to be in Sandy Brondello’s plans.
The Australians are coming off a bronze medal win from the 2024 Olympics in Paris and Bibby plans on helping her home country to keep hold of its place on the podium.
“Our goal is to always medal,” Bibby said in her first media availability with reporters after joining the Lynx at the trade deadline in August. “We always want to be on the podium and that’s Sandy’s standard for us. It’s going to be a tough week, but I think we all have that expectation; it’s pressure, but it’s good pressure.
“It’s so much pride when you get to play for your country, and I definitely feel that immense pride putting on the Australia jersey. I feel super honored, but I think with that privilege it has responsibilities. We’re going to go out and do what we need to get it done, but it’s definitely a goal to get on the podium.”
Australia will need to fight through Group C to get there, which will include matchups against Puerto Rico, Turkey, and a game against fellow Lynx Delaere and Belgium on the final day of the group stage.
Upset-minded Belgium has its eyes on historic opportunity
Speaking of shooters, Toni has entered the chat. Delaere heads into the tournament with plenty of momentum, shooting the ball at a 43.1% clip in her first WNBA season. The Belgians are coached by Mike Thibault, who saw Reeve eclipse his all-time WNBA wins record of 379 earlier this season and is also the father of Lynx assistant Eric Thibault.
Belgium just missed out on a podium finish at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but had one of the stronger showings in the tournament and had the chance to meet the United States in the gold medal game before losing to France in overtime of the semis.
Delaere was her usual sharp-shooting self in Paris, hitting 46.2% of her 3-point attempts in the tournament. Another team with their eyes set on the podium, some hot shooting from Delaere would go a long way in the Belgians winning in historic fashion
“Until now, we only have [domestic] medals in Europe,” Delaere said on Lynx media day. “We want to go to that next step and to get a medal at the World Cup. The World Cup and the Olympics in LA are our biggest goals at the moment…We’re getting a little older so we [can’t] wait too long for it.”
Belgium does boast a wealth of experience with the likes of Emma Meesseman, Julie Allemand, and Julie Vanloo joining Delaere. They’re also one of three competing countries who share a border with Germany and can expect a homecourt advantage in just about every game until they meet Czechia or France down the line.
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A big challenge means a big opportunity for Czechia
It would be a much different outlook for the Czechs if they had Čechová healthy and available to play. They have a gargantuan challenge ahead of them by sharing a group with the USA, Italy, and China.
It’s still a good opportunity for them to build on their young core of players
“I’m super proud we made it to the World Cup,” Joklová told reporters after the rosters were finalized. “It’s after I think 12 or 14 years, I don’t remember exactly, but it’s [been] a little bit. It’s going to be hard times for us because Emma is injured…but we will do our best to perform as much and as good as we can.”
Given the schedule and the injuries facing Team Czechia, a solid start will be imperative to their tournament goals.
“I think the most important game for us is the first game with Italy,” Joklová said. “It will show us how we are as a team and if we can make it to the next round…We need to accept it and play a little bit differently, but still, it’s the World Cup and you want to perform as good as you can.”
The newest Lynx — and how far can Spain go?
Elena Buenavida has yet to debut for the Lynx or meet with the team stateside. The World Cup gives Lynx fans their first chance to see her in high-profile games that matter since the Lynx signed her to a development contract.
“I think the starting point is she’s got a level of confidence and toughness to her game, her pace of play, scores the ball, handles physicality well, all things that will serve you well in our league,” Reeve said when asked about Buenavida earlier in August. “She signed with UCLA a few years back, so was a highly-touted prospect and has been pro since then, so I think that experience [helps]. Obviously, you don’t know until you get here, we’ll just take it a step at a time. It’s a player we’ve watched for a couple of years now and we thought it would be good to bring her over.”
Buenavida is part of a Spanish side that has a chance to make real noise in the tournament with a cast that includes No. 3 overall pick in the WNBA Draft Awa Fam, in addition to WNBA players Megan DiLeo, Maria Conde, Raquel Carrera, Alicia Florez, and Portland Fire draft pick Iyanna Martín.
Plenty to play for
Given the sheer number of Lynx in Berlin, there’s a chance for the entire podium to be decorated with Minnesota WNBA talent. However, the team that very nearly knocked USA off the top last time may have something to say about that.
France enters the tournament as the No. 1 reason why ‘USA vs. the field’ is no longer the no-brainer prediction it used to be. Of all the games featuring Lynx players, Friday’s Group B opening contest between the French and Juhász’s Hungary is perhaps the juiciest of the full slate. At the very least, it could be a great barometer for how far Hungary has come and how far they may still have yet to go.
Add it all up and it’s a tournament filled with opportunities big and small for several Minnesota players. The two-week break during the hyper-specific nature of a WNBA playoff push to go try and win an international tournament will always feel unconventional, but while the league may be on pause, the competition is just heating up for the Lynx in Berlin.
