China’s Li Yueru out of Fiba World Cup after losing passport

FILE– Li Yueru #28 of the Dallas Wings shoots a free throw during a WNBA game against the Golden State Valkyries at American Airlines Center on August 07, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. Stacy Revere/Getty Images/AFP 

BEIJING–China’s WNBA star Li Yueru will miss the Fiba Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin after losing her passport in the mail.

“Li Yueru’s passport was accidentally lost while being mailed in the United States,” the Chinese Basketball Association said.

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The document could not be found before the tournament’s registration deadline so Li was unable to travel to Germany, the association said.

The Women’s Basketball World Cup starts on Friday, with China meeting the United States in their first game.

“It’s really unfortunate I can’t be with my sisters this time,” the 27-year-old Li, who plays for the Dallas Wings, said on Chinese social media.

She thanked the association and embassies for helping with her search.

“We’ve all been working hard together and exploring every possible solution, but maybe we were just a little short on luck this time,” she said on Instagram.

The 6-foot-7 center joined the Dallas Wings in 2025 and represented China at the Paris Olympics in 2024, where she was the team’s top scorer.

She previously played for the Seattle Storm, the Los Angeles Sparks and the Chicago Sky, as well as Chinese teams in Inner Mongolia and Guangdong.