USA Basketball’s U23 Women’s Squad Aims for Glory at 2026 FIBA 3x3 World Cup
MINNEAPOLIS – The band is back together, and this time the stage is a World Cup.
Tori McKinney and USA Basketball’s 3x3 U23 women’s squad head to Wuhan, China, with one clear mission: turn regional dominance into a global statement at the 2026 FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup, running Sept. 15-19.
They won’t go in as a collection of strangers. This group already knows how to win when the stakes rise.
From Chile to China
McKinna Brackens, Dani Carnegie, Katie Fiso and McKinney arrive in Wuhan fresh off a title run in the 2026 FIBA 3x3 Nations League Americas North Conference, where they took the crown in July in Ñuñoa, Chile. Same four players. Same head coach. Same expectations.
Todd Monsey, who steered that Nations League triumph from the sideline, resumes command in China. Continuity like that matters in 3x3, where chemistry can decide games in a single possession.
A Demanding Pool D
The World Cup schedule offers no easing-in period.
The USA open Pool D play on Sept. 16 against Japan at 2:50 a.m. CT, a tricky first test against a nation that traditionally brings speed and discipline to the 3x3 format. Just hours later, they’re back on court to face Kenya at 7:50 a.m. CT, a game that will challenge their recovery and focus as much as their tactics.
Two days later, the level spikes again.
On Sept. 18, the Americans meet Slovenia at 4:30 a.m. CT, then close pool play against Australia at 8:25 a.m. CT. Those final two contests could decide everything: seeding, survival, or a shock early exit.
Every possession will carry weight. In 3x3, momentum can flip in under a minute.
The Route to the Knockouts
The format is ruthless and simple. Four pools, five teams in each. Only the top two from every group reach the quarterfinals on Sept. 19.
Drop a game, and the pressure cranks up. Drop two, and the margin for error almost vanishes.
Once pool play wraps, the bracket locks in and the updated schedule for the quarterfinals will be released. By then, the field will be trimmed to contenders only.
For Brackens, Carnegie, Fiso and McKinney, Chile was the proof of concept. Wuhan is the real examination. Can this tight-knit group turn Nations League chemistry into World Cup hardware?
