The mission is underway. And so far, so good.
The United States Women’s 3×3 National Team opened its 2026 FIBA World Cup campaign in Warsaw, Poland on Tuesday with a Pool B victory over Hungary, moving to 1-0 in the tournament and sending an early statement to a field that includes defending champion Netherlands, Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalists Germany, and Spain — the pool’s top seed.
The win didn’t come against a pushover. Hungary earned their spot through the FIBA 3×3 World Cup Qualifier in Singapore, bringing toughness and discipline into Pool B, led by Vivi Böröndy, who is expected to be their most dangerous offensive weapon. Getting through them cleanly on opening day sets the right tone for what the Americans have been building toward all summer.
The Roster That Made It Happen
The 2026 USA 3×3 Women’s National Team features Joyce Edwards, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Mikaylah Williams, and Sahara Williams — a quartet with a wealth of USA Basketball experience that has already won two events together on the 2026 FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series. The team was assembled and selected by Elena Delle Donne, USA Basketball’s 3×3 Women’s National Team managing director, and the cohesion they’ve built across multiple international stops this summer was evident from the opening tip.
This is an SEC-heavy group with championship DNA running through every player on the court. The combination of Edwards’ interior presence, Fulwiley’s explosive playmaking, Mikaylah Williams’ tournament-tested shooting, and Sahara Williams’ versatility creates a roster without a clear weak link — exactly what 3×3 basketball demands.
Joyce Edwards: The Engine
For South Carolina fans watching from Columbia, Tuesday’s opener was another opportunity to watch their rising junior represent the program on the world’s biggest stage — and Edwards has been nothing short of essential to this team’s success all summer.
At the first World Series stop in Chengdu, China, Edwards was the second-leading scorer, third-leading rebounder, and third in player value rating for the entire tournament. From there, her production only grew. In the Manila stop, Edwards put together some of her most complete performances of the summer — including a dominant outing against the Philippines where she posted 12 points and 9 rebounds, and a Finals performance against Lithuania in overtime that featured 6 points and 6 rebounds as USA closed out the championship.
Her selection to this World Cup roster marks her seventh overall appearance at a USA Basketball event, dating back to her first selection in 2023, with three 5-on-5 gold medals already on her résumé — from the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup, 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup, and 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup. In Warsaw, she carried that pedigree directly onto the halfcourt against Hungary, providing the kind of physical interior presence that 3×3 defenses consistently struggle to match.
MiLaysia Fulwiley: The Clutch Factor
Fulwiley’s role in this team has been defined by the moments that matter most. At the Chengdu World Series stop, it was Fulwiley who delivered the game-winning floater in a back-and-forth semifinal against Poland that went down to the wire, lifting the United States into the final.
That capacity for high-leverage production is exactly what a 3×3 team needs when the pool play pressure arrives and opponents are fully scouted. Fulwiley and Edwards were members of the 2025 3×3 Nations League Team that went 14-2 en route to winning the Americas Conference title — meaning both players have been in winning environments together before Warsaw, and neither is experiencing World Cup pressure for the first time.
The reunion of Fulwiley and Edwards, former South Carolina teammates now competing together under the American flag, gives this roster a connection and trust that wasn’t manufactured in a training camp. It was built over multiple seasons of playing alongside each other in the SEC’s most demanding program.
Mikaylah Williams: The Decorated Veteran
If there is a player on this roster who understands what it means to win at this level with this format, it is Mikaylah Williams. Williams has three FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup gold medals and MVP honors, helping win titles consecutively from 2021 through 2023, and has previously been a member of a USA 3×3 World Cup Team and the 2024 3×3 Nations League Team.
At the Chengdu stop, Williams was the team’s leader in scoring and player value rating, earning MVP honors — a performance that underscored why she remains the most decorated 3×3 player on this roster and why Delle Donne built the team around her experience.
In tight pool play games where the margin for error is minimal — 3×3 games can swing on a single possession — Williams’ championship instincts and shooting efficiency are the safety valve this roster leans on when possessions become precious.
What Comes Next
The Hungary victory moves USA to 1-0, but Pool B offers no easy path to the knockout rounds. Australia brings the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup championship résumé into Pool B with the athleticism and transition game that always translates well to the 3×3 format. The Americans face Australia later Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. ET, then return June 4 to face Mongolia at 12:30 p.m. ET before closing pool play against Spain at 2:20 p.m. ET.
Team USA will be hoping to secure their fourth World Cup title in history — their last triumph came in 2023, before being knocked out in the quarter-finals by an exciting Mongolian side last year. The quarterfinal loss to Mongolia still stings, and the rematch opportunity that pool play now sets up could be one of the defining moments of the entire tournament.
For now, the United States is 1-0 in Warsaw. The work continues this afternoon — and if the summer has shown anything, this team is just getting started.
