Caitlin Clark named MVP as U.S. women complete perfect run in FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament
Authored by prc-kaiyunsports.com, 18/03/2026
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark was named most valuable player of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 qualifying tournament after Team USA finished with a 5-0 record.[1][2]
The Americans defeated Senegal, Puerto Rico, Italy, New Zealand and Spain in the tournament. One game against Puerto Rico took place on March 12, 2026, in San Juan.[1][2]
Clark, a 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year who averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game in her debut season,[3][5] made her senior national team debut in the event. She averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 assists per game.[1][2]
In her first game against Senegal, Clark scored 17 points, including four 3-pointers.[1][2]
The award is Clark's second MVP honor on the FIBA world stage, following her selection as MVP of the 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup, where she led the U.S. to gold.[4][1]
Clark had missed most of the 2025 WNBA season with the Fever due to a groin strain and an ankle bone bruise sustained before the All-Star break. She appeared in 13 games that season.[2][3]
"I've always been a person that's going to just rely on my work. I feel like it's certainly made me work harder," Clark said earlier this month of her injury recovery. "But that's also probably the part that kind of stunk about it is I felt like I put in so much time and so much energy going into last season and then, obviously, only appeared in about 13 games."[2]
The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup is scheduled for September 4-13, 2026, in Berlin, Germany.[1]
Sources
- FIBA, "FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026", accessed March 2026, https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/fiba-womens-basketball-world-cup-2026
- USA Basketball, "Senior Women’s National Team", accessed March 2026, https://www.usab.com/womens/national/team.aspx
- WNBA, "Caitlin Clark Player Profile", accessed March 2026, https://www.wnba.com/player/caitlin-clark/
- FIBA, "U19 Women's World Cup MVP Caitlin Clark leads USA past Canada for gold", 28 January 2023, https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/u19-women-world-cup-mvp-caitlin-clark-leads-usa-past-canada-for-gold
- ESPN, "Caitlin Clark - WNBA Stats", accessed March 2026, https://www.espn.com/wnba/player/stats/_/id/4432954/caitlin-clark