Team USA vs Hungary FIBA World Cup Game Gets Early Start Time

American fans will have to wake up early to catch Team USA take on Hungary in the FIBA World Cup.

Caitlin Clark plays during the FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup 2026 match between the United States and China | IMAGO / NurPhoto

Team USA's opponent for the quarterfinals in the 2026 FIBA World Cup is set. And now fans in America will have to set their alarms if they want to watch live.

That's because the game between Team USA and Hungary (who beat Japan to advance) occupies the early slot on Thursday, which is slated for 5:30 am ET. The tournament is of course taking place in Berlin, Germany, so the time zone is a major factor in the early bird scheduling.

Hungary enters the contest against the U.S. at 3-1. They defeated Japan, Korea, and Nigeria, but fell to France in blowout fashion. Dorka Juhasz, who is a member of the Minnesota Lynx, is the team's leading scorer in the tournament. She is averaging 15.3 points per game.

Belgium and Germany make up the other quarterfinal game that is fully set. France awaits the winner of Puerto Rico vs. China, while Spain will face the winner of Italy vs. Australia.

The semifinals take place on Saturday, September 12, with the final and bronze medal game set for Sunday, September 13.

Who Is Leading Team USA?

Team USA has won two of its three games convincingly, but struggled in a narrow victory over Italy.

Thus far, Jackie Young is the team's leading scorer at 11.3 points per game. Breanna Stewart is pacing the squad in rebounds with 8.3 a contest. And Caitlin Clark is leading in assists averaging 6.3 per game.

The young group off the bench including Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese has been very productive for Team USA. Bueckers has the best field goal percentage on the team and is also averaging the most blocks. Reese is top three in field goal percentage, rebounds, steals, and blocks. Clark has the best plus/minus on the team to go with her lead in assists.

Team USA will be heavy favorites against Hungary and there is no reason to believe they won't advance. But their poor performance versus Italy shows the U.S. is vulnerable to suffering its first World Cup loss since 2006 at the hands of Russia.

They will need to play better from this point forward if they want to bring home the gold once again, particularly with the way France has looked in the tournament. They'll have a chance to continue building toward a championship on Thursday versus Hungary—starting bright and early for those who plan to tune in.