TNT to broadcast FIBA World Cup games featuring stars such as Caitlin Clark
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Beginning with a 2026 women’s World Cup qualifying tournament March 11 that includes the star-studded U.S. team, TNT Sports networks, which include TNT, TBS, TruTV, as well as streaming service HBO Max, will show FIBA’s “most prestigious international basketball competitions and marquee events” through 2029, according to a news release.
Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese — three of the WNBA’s most prominent rising stars — will all make their U.S. national team debuts at the San Juan qualifier, the first event covered by the TNT Sports-FIBA agreement.
The women’s World Cup is scheduled for September, in Berlin, and the men’s 2027 World Cup is in Qatar. Both tournaments will be shown in full on TNT Sports properties.
“This deal is one that we can proudly say will take the profile of international basketball to a whole new level in (America), and we are certainly excited to be partnering with TNT Sports,” said Frank Leenders, head of FIBA’s media and marketing division, in the news release. “It’s important that in a nation like (the) USA which is so synonymous with basketball, we have as many top-quality international games broadcast in the market as possible. We are particularly looking forward to the launch, and especially with so much of the spotlight on the Women’s World Cup.”
The U.S. women’s team — coached by Kara Lawson and already qualified for the World Cup — opens qualifier play against Senegal at 5 p.m. on March 11, with the game to be shown on truTV and HBO Max. The Americans, who have won four consecutive World Cups, play host Puerto Rico on March 12; Italy on March 14; New Zealand on March 15 and Spain on March 17. The game against Spain will be on TNT, while the rest will be on truTV.
Also starring for the U.S. team are Kelsey Plum, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young.
On the men’s side, the U.S. national team is 3-1 in qualifying games for the 2027 World Cup, with its next game in July in the Dominican Republic. The same news release suggests that those qualifying games will also be broadcast on a TNT Sports property. The American men, a team of former NBA players and current G Leaguers, including former No. 2 pick James Wiseman, were beaten by the Dominican Republic last week and rebounded with a win over Mexico.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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