Caitlin Clark makes feelings clear on World Cup after failing to start a single game

Jarrod CastilloThu, September 17, 2026 at 11:18 PM UTC

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Caitlin Clark spoke on her World Cup experience despite coming off the bench for the entire tournament -Credit:YouTube: @Indiana FeverCaitlin Clark admitted she enjoyed her time playing for Team USA in the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin, despite coming off the bench in every game en route to a gold medal

Caitlin Clark made it evident how she felt about her experience at the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin.

Clark, the Indiana Fever superstar, was an integral part of Team USA's journey to a gold medal, despite coming off the bench in each of the United States' six games. Still, she averaged 7.8 points, on 35.9 percent shooting from the field, 50.0 percent from beyond the arc, with 5.3 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 0.7 steals in 19.3 minutes per game.

Though she wasn't a starter, the 24-year-old stamped her mark on the tournament and said she harbored no ill will toward any decisions, returning to the United States as a gold medalist.

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"The World Cup is a huge deal," she began to reporters Thursday ahead of the Fever's matchup with the Toronto Tempo on Friday. "So, it meant a lot. Obviously, I played in the World Cup qualifier, but getting to play the World Cup on that stage, there's really nothing like it.

"And obviously, my goal is the Olympics in 28. But I've worn the USA jersey at the junior national team level. But getting to do it at the senior national team level, I remember those conversations when we were young.

"When I was 15 years old playing my first time at U16 USA basketball, they talk about how maybe only a couple of us will ever get to make our senior national team debut. And there's 120 kids sitting in the room trying out to make the U16 team. And now to be one of those, it's kind of a pinch me moment."

Team USA head coach Kara Lawson has preferred to utilize Caitlin Clark from the bench throughout much of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup

The 24-year-old also added that being part of the gold-medal-winning team and being around veteran stars who have won gold medals before was "super, super cool," even though she came off the bench for the entire tournament. Clark continued to say that being able to see just how much harder each player competed for their respective countries.

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"And I think another really cool part of the World Cup experience is just getting to see how meaningful it is for not only ourselves to represent the United States, but also Italy and Spain, and then obviously the home country, Germany, and France," she recalled.

"How much it means to these women to represent their country and to play and the pride that they play with. And I think we feel the same thing on the USA side.

"It's so hard to be able to have this opportunity and then get to represent the people of our country and uphold the standard of USA basketball and the legacy that has been built."

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The United States continues to be the standard that countries compare themselves to in basketball. Team USA won its fifth straight World Cup after taking down France, marking the 12th time the United States has won gold.

Clark noted that, though the World Cup is similar to the Olympics in that they are both held every four years, she believes what the United States has accomplished is more difficult than in other tournaments, making it that much more special for her.

"We've won, what, five World Cups in a row now? Or six World Cups in a row now? That's really difficult to do," she surmised. "It's one of the hardest competitions. It's harder than the Olympics. So, just super special. And, you know, you never take those moments for granted."

Looking ahead, the 2028 Olympics will be held in Los Angeles while the 2030 World Cup will take place in Tokyo.

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Source: “AOL Sports”