Mai Yamamoto will represent Japan at the 2026 FIBA World Cup in Berlin, the Japan Basketball Association announced. The selection gives the Las Vegas Aces guard another major international opportunity and adds one more national team representative to a roster already making news this summer.
Japan opens preliminary play Sept. 4 against Mali before facing host Germany on Sept. 5 and Spain on Sept. 7. The gold medal game is scheduled for Sept. 13. For Yamamoto, the tournament adds to an international resume that already includes appearances in seven FIBA senior-level competitions.
Another national team selection for Yamamoto
Yamamoto has been part of several of Japan's biggest basketball moments in recent years. She helped Japan win gold at the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup, competed in the 2022 World Cup, helped Japan win silver at the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup and played in the 2024 Olympics. Now she is back on the World Cup stage again, this time for the 2026 edition in Berlin.
The announcement also further links Yamamoto to a busy Las Vegas Aces presence on the international stage. The Aces will have five players represented across national teams at the 2026 FIBA World Cup, underlining how much talent is tied to the club's roster.
What she has done for the Aces
Yamamoto signed with the Las Vegas Aces on July 17 and has already shown a little of what she can provide. On Aug. 9 against New York, she scored a season-high 16 points. For the season, she has averaged 5.3 points and 1.7 assists while shooting 40.7% from the field and 47.4% from 3-point range in 13 minutes a game.
That kind of efficient, limited-minute production is part of why the Aces have continued to keep her in the mix. And with Japan now set for another World Cup run, Yamamoto's role remains important both at the club level and on the international stage.
