FIBA Announces Unexpected Development Involving Caitlin Clark

According to FIBA, Team USA star Caitlin Clark is not the most popular player in the World Cup.

by Paolo Songco

Sep 8, 2026

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts during a WNBA game.

John Jones-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

Caitlin Clark is not only one of the best players on the Team USA roster. Many consider her to be one of the biggest draws of the ongoing FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.

Clark has firmly established herself as one of the most popular players in women’s basketball today, and she has brought her immense fame to the international stage at the World Cup.

The Indiana Fever star is coming off an MVP run in the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in March. She’s carried over some of that momentum to Berlin, Germany. In three games played in the World Cup, Clark is averaging 8.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game.

Team USA swept the group phase, 3-0, and are now set to face Hungary in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) in the first half against the Connecticut Sun.

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Despite Clark’s widespread fame, a couple of players in the tournament have outshone her so far. On Tuesday, FIBA announced the most-visited player pages on its website. Unexpectedly, Clark ranks just third overall behind China’s twin towers of Zhang Ziyu and Han Xu.

According to FIBA, Zhang and Han are currently the two most popular players in the World Cup. Zhang is a 19-year-old phenom who towers over all players at 7-foot-4. Han, on the other hand, stands at 6-foot-11. The 26-year-old plays for the New York Liberty in the WNBA.

China finished second in Group D behind Team USA with a 2-1 record. They will face Puerto Rico on Thursday in a single-elimination qualification matchup. The winner will face powerhouse France in the quarterfinals.

As for Clark, she settled for third behind Zhang and Han on FIBA’s list of most popular players. Her USA teammates Paige Bueckers (fourth) and Angel Reese (fifth) round out the top 5, while Breanna Stewart (sixth) and Sonia Citron (ninth) are also on the list.

Cecilia Zandalasini of Italy (seventh), Emma Meesseman of Belgium (eighth) and Sika Kone of Mali (10th) are the other players who have also driven clicks.