‘The Caitlin Clark Effect,’ ‘Wow’ — WNBA World Marvels at Team USA’s ‘Record-Breaking’ FIBA Women’s World Cup TV Ratings
· Yahoo Sports
Team USA’s three group-stage games at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup have produced eye-catching TV numbers.
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Several WNBA fans credited the “Caitlin Clark effect” as all three matches ranked among the most-watched games in tournament history.
WNBA Fans Point to Caitlin Clark As TNT Sports Shares Historic FIBA World Cup Viewership Numbers
According to TNT Sports U.S., the USA-Italy game averaged 1.3 million viewers and peaked at 1.7 million. The USA-Czechia game averaged 1.2 million viewers, peaking at 1.4 million, while the USA-China opener averaged 577,000 and peaked at 694,000.
That means all three games now sit inside the top three most-watched FIBA Women’s World Cup games ever, according to TNT Sports. USA-Italy also became the most-watched women’s basketball game in TNT Sports history. The “record-breaking” numbers were shared on X.
Team USA opened the tournament with a comfortable 94-61 win over China on Friday. Clark recorded 14 points and 11 assists, while Paige Bueckers also scored 14 points.
Two days later, the Americans had their toughest game of the group stage. Italy pushed Team USA to the brink before falling 55-52. The U.S. shot just 28.6% from the field and made only 8.3% of its 3-point attempts. Clark had just 1 point in 19 minutes.
Team USA bounced back against Czechia, winning 105-64 to finish the group stage unbeaten. Breanna Stewart led the way with 19 points, while Clark finished with 9 points and 7 assists.
Interestingly, the Indiana Fever guard played 66 minutes across the three group-stage games, the most of any USA player. She did not start any of the three contests, but her minutes and role still made her one of the team’s biggest draws.
That has led some fans to believe the ratings are another example of the “Caitlin Clark effect,” with her popularity helping bring more attention to Team USA.
“Wow this is amazing and kind of funny that 1.3 million saw that Italy game 😭🤣” another fan added.
“Eye-popping numbers for USA’s three group-stage #FIBAWWC games!” another WNBA fan pointed out.
One fan credited the “CC effect,” noting that the schedule was not friendly to the U.S. audience, while promotion around the games also appeared limited. Despite that, fans still turned up in large numbers.
Fan interest has also carried over into the knockout stage. One supporter shared:
“I was up at 5:30 am this morning for the Hungary game.”
Team USA went on to deliver one of its best performances of the tournament, cruising past Hungary 108-56 in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
The Americans scored a World Cup quarterfinal record 108 points and set another quarterfinal record with 31 assists. Clark chipped in 10 points and 9 assists, while Napheesa Collier led all scorers with 19 points.
Now, Team USA heads into Saturday’s semifinal against Spain with another chance to show just how big its audience can become.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.