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How did a Bay Area league reach FIBA's top women's club tournament?

By McKinley Malbrough III, J.D., MS-HRM · Certified WNBA player agent · Former certified NBA agent

Published September 29, 2026. Last updated September 29, 2026.

This is Part 2 of a three-part series. Part 1 explains the league itself: who founded it, its eight teams and who it serves. Part 3 explains why the sport needs development leagues like it.

What is the WBL Americas?

The Women's Basketball League Americas is FIBA's premier tournament for women's club teams across North, Central and South America. It brings the continent's top clubs together and forms part of FIBA's commitment to women's basketball in the region, per FIBA. For the professional side of international play, see how overseas contracts work.

Colombia's Indeportes Antioquia won the first two editions. United States participation in international club basketball is rare, per Valhalla, which is what makes the Phoenix stand out.

What happened in the Phoenix's first run in 2024?

The Phoenix entered as the first U.S. club ever to compete, per FIBA. They were drawn into the North Zone group in Medellín, Colombia, alongside defending champion Indeportes Antioquia, Salvadoreñas of El Salvador and Pioneras de Delicias of Mexico, per FIBA.

• Group stage: undefeated, including a 53-52 win over Indeportes Antioquia on its home floor, with 21 points from Rebecca Harris, per FIBA.
• Semifinal: a 94-93 double-overtime win over Chile's Sportiva Italiana, sealed by a Jazmine Jackson and-one with 16 seconds left, per FIBA.
• Final: a 61-53 loss to Indeportes Antioquia in Medellín, per FIBA.

That made the Phoenix runners-up with a 4-1 record in their first FIBA tournament, and the only team to beat the champion. They pushed the final into the fourth quarter within three points before Indeportes pulled away.

Who is in the 2026 field?

Six clubs from five countries, playing in Santiago, Chile, from September 29 to October 4, per FIBA:

• Bay Area Phoenix, United States
• CDC Leones and Sportiva Italiana, Chile
• Defensor Sporting, Uruguay
• Ferro, Argentina
• SESI Araraquara, Brazil, winner of the last South American club championship, per Valhalla

The whole event runs at one site this year. Each team plays two group games; group winners go straight to the semifinals, and the other teams start in the quarterfinals, per Valhalla. Games are at the Centro Deportivo Ismenia Pauchard Demier, per Uno Contra Uno.

When do the Phoenix play this week?

The Phoenix are in Group B with SESI Araraquara and Sportiva Italiana, per Uno Contra Uno:

• Wednesday, September 30: Bay Area Phoenix vs. SESI Araraquara
• Thursday, October 1: Sportiva Italiana vs. Bay Area Phoenix, a rematch of the 2024 double-overtime semifinal

Knockout games follow through October 4. Live stats and tip-off times are on the FIBA event page.

Why does a U.S. club in this tournament matter?

It gives American players something the domestic calendar rarely offers: meaningful FIBA club games against the best teams on the continent. Every game produces official FIBA box scores and broadcast film, the material scouts and clubs abroad use to judge a player. A strong week in Santiago can shape a player's next contract.

It also matters for the league. Two appearances in three editions, a runner-up finish and a win over the two-time champion put the WPBA on a map that few American organizations reach. That standing is built on a league created to open doors for players who had few.

How can fans follow and support the Phoenix?

Follow the games live through the FIBA event page, share the league's posts, and give through the WPBA donation page. Sending a full roster and staff to another continent is expensive, and supporters help cover that cost.

How does one agent see this tournament?

The author is a certified WNBA player agent and a friend of the league's founder. Official FIBA game data carries weight with international clubs that a summer box score does not, because clubs read it as proof of the level. For an American player hoping to sign abroad, a week at this tournament can be the most useful week of film in her career. Players who move abroad afterward will also meet the FIBA letter of clearance.