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· collected 2026-08-31 · by Doug Feinberg The Associated Press
US stars A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum will miss the FIBA Women's World Cup due to health reasons, with Wilson needing a break after shouldering a heavy workload for the Las Vegas Aces and Plum dealing with a lingering calf injury. They will be replaced by Washington teammates Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron. The US team has won every World Cup since 2006, but will now rely heavily on its youth movement in Wilson's and Plum's absence. The team, which includes Olympic medalists Breanna Stewart and others, faces China in their opening match on Friday.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-31,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum, two key players from the US women's national basketball team, will miss the FIBA Women's World Cup due to health reasons. Wilson, a four-time WNBA MVP, has been carrying a heavy workload for her Las Vegas Aces team this season and needed a break to rest and prepare for the playoffs. She was also the most outstanding player of the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2022 World Cup. Meanwhile, Plum has been dealing with a calf injury that hasn't fully healed. To replace them, Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron, both teammates from the Washington Mystics, will join the US team in Germany for the tournament. The Americans have won every FIBA Women's World Cup since 2006, when they finished with a bronze medal.
Written for “Missing FIBA Women's World Cup” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 3250 · logged 2026-08-31
A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum will miss the FIBA Women’s World Cup for health reasons and will be replaced by Washington teammates Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron, USA Basketball announced Monday.
asserted
Basketball → miss → teammates
Wilson, the four-time WNBA MVP, has shouldered quite a workload in the first part of the season for the Las Vegas Aces and needed a break to rest and get ready for the playoffs.
asserted
Wilson → shoulder → playoffs
She was voted the most outstanding player of the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2022 World Cup.
asserted
She → vote → Olympics
She will be sorely missed by the United States.
asserted
She → miss → States
Plum has been dealing with a calf injury for most of the WNBA season and it still hasn’t 100% healed.
asserted
it → deal → season
She was a catalyst in the Paris Games gold-medal contest against France and sparked the Americans to the one-point victory.
asserted
She → spark → victory
Iriafen played on the American team that went to Puerto Rico and won the World Cup qualifier.
asserted
that → play → qualifier
Citron had to miss that tournament because of an injury, so she’ll be making her national team debut in Germany.
asserted
she → have → Germany
The Americans have won every World Cup since finishing with the bronze medal in 2006.
asserted
Americans → win → 2006
That World Cup saw American star Lisa Leslie pull out at the last minute because of a car accident that her uncle was in.
asserted
uncle → see → that
Without her, the U.S. fell to Russia in the semifinals.
asserted
U.S. → fall → semifinals
Without the two veteran players, the U.S. will rely even more heavily on its youth movement.
asserted
U.S. → rely → movement
Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers will make their World Cup.
asserted
Clark → make → Cup
The young stars will be joined by Olympic medalists Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kahleah Copper.
asserted
stars → join → Stewart
Rhyne Howard and Aliyah Boston will also be making their World Cup debuts to round out the team.
asserted
Howard → make → team
The U.S. opens against China on Friday.
asserted
U.S. → open → Friday
The Chinese team has a huge front line with 7-foot-3 Zhang Ziyu, 6-10 Han Xu and 6-7 Li Yueru.
asserted
team → have → Ziyu
The two teams played for the World Cup title in 2022 in Australia.
asserted
teams → play → Australia
