BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- WNBA-based center Han Xu and rising star Zhang Ziyu were named in China's roster for the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup on Wednesday, while another WNBA-based post player Li Yueru will be absent.
Apart from Han and Zhang, other Chinese players to compete in the World Cup include Chen Mingling, Chen Yujie, Jia Saiqi, Li Yuan, Luo Xinyu, Sun Yu, Tang Ziting, Wang Siyu, Yang Shuyu and Zhang Manman.
Team China said Li Yueru withdrew from the competition due to "an unexpected incident."
"Li's passport was accidentally lost during mailing from the United States. Despite multi-party coordination for the search and various remedial solutions being explored, the passport remained unfound by the registration deadline. Therefore, she is unable to travel with the team for the FIBA Women's World Cup," the team wrote on Weibo.
China finished runner-up at the 2022 World Cup, tying its best result in the championship. Compared to that squad, only Han and backcourt duo Wang and Li Yuan remain to compete in this World Cup.
The 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup will be held in Berlin from September 4 to 13, featuring a total of 16 teams into four groups. Group winners will directly qualify for the quarterfinals, while second- and third-placed sides will compete in a qualification to quarterfinals round to decide the remaining four berths.
China has been drawn in Group D with defending champion the United States, Czechia and Italy. China will start its campaign on Friday with a game against the United States, in a rematch of the last edition's final. ■
