China will be without one of its best players in Dallas Wings center Li Yueru in the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup over a passport issue.
With the tournament in Germany, Yueru's passport got lost in the mail, and she wasn't able to get a new one in time for this latest FIBA run, per USA TODAY's Mitchell Northam.
“The national team have always made me feel valued and wanted, and it has always been a tremendous honor to represent China. I was incredibly excited and looking forward to joining the national team again,” Yueru said, via USA TODAY.
“Unfortunately, my passport was lost in the mail and still hasn’t been found. Throughout this time, we’ve all been working hard together and exploring every possible solution, but maybe we were just
a little short on luck this time... As of today, the passport is still missing.”
This is a tough blow for a competitive China team and Yueru, one of her country's best women's basketball players.
China plays against the USA on Friday morning at 8 a.m. ET in the Group D stage, with the game broadcast on TNT, truTV and HBO Max.
Are any other WNBA players for China competing in FIBA?
New York Liberty center Han Xu is the other WNBA player on China's team.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Li Yueru isn't playing for China in the 2026 FIBA World Cup
