Team USA Faces Tall Task in FIBA World Cup Opener Against China

Team USA will be the massive favorites in every 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup they play in and are probably going to win the entire tournament. This is because the USA squad's roster boasts many of the world's most talented players, which no other country can match.

However, their opening match against China (which takes place on Friday) might be the toughest match of them all, given the sheer size of several of China's players.

WNBA fans will be familiar with Han Xu, who is the New York Liberty's 6'8" center. They'll also be familiar with Li Yueru, the Dallas Wings' 6'7" center. While neither of these players has the same degree of talent as Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston (who is Team USA's tallest player, standing at 6'5"), their sheer height advantage will at least make for matchup problems.

And that's not all. Neither Han Xu nor Li Yueru is even close to being the tallest players on China's roster. They have a 19-year-old named Zhang Ziyu, who is listed at 7'2".

Ziyu is expected to be among the top picks in the 2027 WNBA Draft and will immediately become the tallest player in WNBA history when she joins the league. Her staggering size is a massive asset, and the USA roster will have to deal with this extremely tall task on Friday.

Zhang Ziyu 19 of China competes during the 2025 FIBA Women s Asia Cup 3rd Place Game match between China and South Korea. | IMAGO / VCG

A'ja Wilson's Absence Creates More Team USA Pressure Against China's Tall Roster

Team USA would be feeling better about this upcoming matchup against China if it still had A'ja Wilson on the roster, who is both a center and arguably the best defender of all time.

However, Wilson had to pull out of the FIBA World Cup to deal with an injury, which means that the task of guarding these players will primarily fall on Aliyah Boston.

Kiki Iriafen (who replaced Wilson on Team USA and is 6'3"), Angel Reese (also 6'3"), Breanna Stewart (listed at 6'4"), and Napheesa Collier (6'1") will also likely have to guard these tall Chinese players if more than one is on the court at a time.

They're all skilled and athletic enough to do so, and Reese can out-rebound any woman in the world, regardless of height. But this could still pose problems so early in the tournament's round-robin stage.

USA has such a skill advantage over China that they should still be able to secure a victory. But this matchup will still be fascinating to behold, even if it's just because of the sheer size of several Chinese players.

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