Dallas Wings’ Alanna Smith Named To Australia’s 2026 FIBA World Cup Team

ARLINGTON, Texas — Alanna Smith is going back to the World Cup. The Dallas Wings forward was named Sunday to the 12-player roster that will represent Australia at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, held Sept. 4-13 in Berlin.

Sandy Brondello, who coaches the Toronto Tempo, will lead the Opals. Her roster carries six other WNBA players in Steph Talbot (Las Vegas Aces), Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm), Jade Melbourne (Seattle Storm), Isobel Borlase (Atlanta Dream), Chloe Bibby (Chicago Sky), and Sami Whitcomb (Phoenix Mercury). Zitina Aokuso, Isabelle Bourne, Alex Fowler, Steph Reid, and Alex Wilson round out the group.

Berlin will be Smith’s second World Cup. She started all six games at the 2018 tournament in Spain, averaging 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds as Australia took silver, its first World Cup medal since the 2006 gold. Four years later, she was cut from the squad that played the 2022 World Cup on home soil in Sydney.

The Road Back Through Istanbul

Smith played all five games of Australia’s qualifying run in Türkiye in March, when the Opals went 5-0. She averaged 11.6 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds across the tournament.

At the Paris Olympics in 2024, Smith was named to the All-Star Five as Australia beat Belgium for bronze. Her senior debut came at the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Bengaluru, where she averaged 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds on 58.3% shooting and Australia finished second to Japan.

Australia enters Berlin ranked second in the world.

A First Season In Dallas Interrupted

Smith signed with the Wings on April 11 on a three-year deal worth $3.75 million, an average of $1.25 million per season under the new collective bargaining agreement, with a 2026 base salary of $1.19 million. She was Dallas’ top free-agent target after winning co-Defensive Player of the Year honors alongside A’ja Wilson in 2025, a season in which her 80 blocks set the Minnesota Lynx single-season franchise record.

The 6-foot-4 forward has not been able to string much together since arriving. Smith fractured her nose in the preseason and played behind a protective mask, then entered the league’s concussion protocol after a head-to-head collision with Chicago’s Gabriela Jaquez on June 20. Entering her July 2 return against the Connecticut Sun, she was averaging 4.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 16 games while shooting 40.6% from the field and 20.0% from three.

Smith returned July 2 against the Connecticut Sun. She scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 13 minutes, 40 seconds that night in Hartford. The Wings’ medical staff had her on a minutes restriction.

“I wouldn’t say I’m in a great rhythm at the moment. This whole season I’ve been in and out a little bit, so I haven’t really been able to get into a flow,” Smith said after that game. “This is probably one of a few games this season where I’ve felt a little bit like myself.”

Ten days later, she suffered a right leg injury in a 96-91 win over the Chicago Sky at American Airlines Center. Smith has not played since. She was listed as doubtful against the Los Angeles Sparks and New York Liberty, upgraded to questionable ahead of the July 22 game in Portland, and ultimately did not play in that one either.

Smith has appeared in 20 games this season. She has averaged 3.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 14.2 minutes. She has shot 38.5% from the field, 20.0% from three, and 64.3% at the free-throw line. Her defensive numbers sit at 0.7 steals and 0.4 blocks per game.

How The Calendar Works

The WNBA built the World Cup into its 2026 schedule. Play stops Aug. 31 and resumes Sept. 17, giving Smith and the rest of the tournament’s participants a window that does not cost their clubs games. The regular season ends Sept. 24, and the playoffs begin Sept. 27.

Smith won the 2026 Unrivaled championship with Mist BC last offseason, playing alongside Arike Ogunbowale and Li Yueru and averaging 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds. Dallas signed her two months later.

The Wings are 18-9, the best 27-game start in franchise history. They host the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday at College Park Center, with the game airing on USA Network, then travel to face the Washington Mystics on July 31.