Fever’s Caitlin Clark and Wings’ Paige Bueckers will meet again sooner than anyone expected originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Indiana Fever on Monday confirmed two preseason matchups in advance of the 2026 WNBA season — the start of which remains uncertain due to ongoing labor negotiations.
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Caitlin Clark and the Fever will face the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on April 25 in a blockbuster preseason matchup in and of itself. But then, Indiana will head home to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Pagie Bueckers and the Dallas Wings on April 30.
MORE: Caitlin Clark got a special treat from the Fever on her 24th birthday
The Fever and the Wings will meet nine days later, on May 9, to open the 2026 regular season.
Showdowns between Clark and Bueckers are expected to be among the most-viewed games of the coming season. Across the 44-game regular-season slate, the Fever and the Wings will play three times, solidifying the perception that Bueckers vs. Clark is a burgeoning on-court rivalry.
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In real life though, Bueckers last week pushed back against the idea that she doesn’t like Clark away from the court, with both players vying to represent USA Basketball at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Germany later this year.
“Everybody has pinned me and Caitlin against each other for the longest time,” Bueckers told Kyle Kelce on Not Gonna Lie. “We’re cool, we’re friends.”
