TORONTO (March 3, 2026) – Canada Basketball announced Tuesday its coaching staff for the upcoming FIBA Women’s World Cup 2026 Qualifying tournament, set for March 11-17 in Istanbul, Turkiye.

Head Coach Nell Fortner will lead the Senior Women’s National Team, joined by assistant coaches Christie Sides, Carly Clarke, and Marlo Davis.

The Qualifying Tournament represents the final step on the road to the FIBA Women’s World Cup 2026 in Berlin, Germany this September. Canada will compete in the Turkiye Qualifier alongside host Turkiye, Hungary, Argentina, Japan and Australia. With Australia already qualified as the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2025 champion, the remaining three World Cup berths will be awarded to the highest-finishing teams in the tournament.

All of Canada’s games will be broadcast live on TSN.

Fortner continues to lead the bench following a successful FIBA debut with Canada this past summer, guiding the team to a bronze medal at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025. The tournament marked the beginning of a new quadrennial cycle for the program, as Fortner helped establish the standards and identity that will carry into World Cup qualification.

An Olympic gold medallist and FIBA World Champion as a head coach, Fortner brings decades of international and professional experience to the program. She is the winningest coach in USA Basketball women’s history and previously served as a WNBA head coach and executive, in addition to leading three NCAA programs to national tournament appearances.

“We’re excited about the continuity this staff provides heading into a critical competition,” said Steve Baur, General Manager and Vice-President, Women’s High Performance. “Nell set a strong foundation at AmeriCup — not only in terms of results, but in reinforcing the culture and accountability standards our athletes committed to. With Christie and Carly returning, and Marlo stepping into this role, we’re confident in the leadership guiding this group in Istanbul.”

Sides also made her Senior Women’s National Team coaching debut at the 2025 AmeriCup, bringing extensive NCAA and WNBA experience to the Canadian bench. Most recently, she served as head coach of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. During her tenure she led the franchise to its first playoff appearance since 2016.

Continuing a decade-plus tenure within Canada Basketball’s women’s high performance program, Clarke also returns as an assistant coach. In addition to the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, she has served on the bench at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Clarke is the only coach in program history to win a medal at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup and remains head coach at Toronto Metropolitan University, recently leading the program to its third OUA championship.

Davis will make his Senior Women’s National Team FIBA debut in Istanbul. He has been a key contributor within Canada Basketball’s age-group pathway for several years, most recently serving as head coach of the U19 Women’s National Team and leading Canada to silver at the FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup 2024. Davis previously helped guide Canada to bronze at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup 2023 as an assistant coach under Clarke.

Canada is currently ranked No. 7 in the FIBA World Rankings Women, presented by Nike.

The Senior Women’s National Team roster for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament will be announced Wednesday. 

For more information on the qualifying tournament, visit FIBA.Basketball.