USA reach World Cup final, France make history in Olympic final rematch
The United States and France women's basketball teams will play in the final of the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin after defeating Spain and Germany in the semifinals on September 12. The Americans beat Spain 76:66 in a game that was completely open after three quarters, while earlier the same day France defeated host Germany 86:64 and reached the World Cup final for the first time in its history. According to official FIBA data, both games were played in front of 12,650 spectators at Berlin Arena. The final on September 13 will also be a rematch of the dramatic Olympic gold-medal game in Paris in 2024, when the USA defeated France 67:66.
Spain stayed within reach until the final quarter
The American national team did not reach the final without a serious test. FIBA's official game report shows that the USA led 21:18 after the first quarter and 39:36 at halftime, but Spain erased the deficit in the third period and entered the final ten minutes with the score tied at 58:58. For three quarters, the Spanish team managed to slow down the defending champions' offense and keep the game at a pace that gave them a realistic chance of a major upset. The decision, however, came in the final quarter, when the American defense allowed Spain only eight points, while the USA scored 18 and gradually took control of the game.
Breanna Stewart led the Americans with 16 points and, according to FIBA's official game report, also had the best efficiency rating on her team. Kahleah Copper added 13 points and Jackie Young 12. On the Spanish side, Iyana Martín and María Conde scored 17 points each and were the main reason the team remained competitive for so long. The American team made 40 percent of its shots from the field, while Spain made 38 percent, further illustrating how physical the game was and how important the defenses were. The decisive difference emerged only when the USA managed to string together several defensive possessions with transition opportunities and more secure offense late in the game.
According to The Guardian's report, USA head coach Kara Lawson particularly highlighted the fourth-quarter defense as the element that decided the game. That is consistent with the official score of the final period, in which Spain was held to just eight points. The Americans also showed the experience of a team accustomed to the closing stages of major competitions: they did not panic after Spain tied the game, and there was no need to force individual solutions too early. Instead, defensive pressure and control of the rebounding gradually changed the course of the contest.
Americans continue streak dating back to 2006
With the victory over Spain, the USA reached its fifth consecutive World Cup final. FIBA states that the Americans won the last four world titles, in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022, and arrived in Berlin as a national team with a total of 11 world gold medals. Their most recent World Cup defeat came back in 2006, and after the semifinal in Berlin their winning streak in the competition grew to 35 games. That continuity adds extra significance to Sunday's final: France is not only challenging for the title, but also attempting to end one of the longest periods of dominance in the history of international women's basketball.
The USA's road to the 2026 final has also shown two different sides of the team. In Group D, according to FIBA's official results, the Americans defeated China 94:61, then had to work extremely hard for a 55:52 victory over Italy, before finishing the group stage with a convincing 105:64 win against the Czech Republic. In the quarterfinals they outplayed Hungary 108:56, which was their most convincing performance in the knockout stage. The semifinal against Spain once again presented a different type of challenge: less space, a slower pace and the need to decide the game in the final few minutes. That ability to adapt remains one of the main American strengths ahead of the final.
The American national team in Berlin is led by Kara Lawson, who, according to FIBA, took charge of the senior national team after previously serving as an assistant coach during the victories at the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games. As head coach, Lawson also won the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup, and USA Basketball entrusted her with leading the national team through the Olympic cycle up to Los Angeles 2028. The final in Berlin is therefore her first attempt to win a world title as head coach of the senior national team.
France break hosts' resistance and reach final for the first time
In the first semifinal, France held the advantage against Germany from the start, but the host team did not allow an early separation in the first half. The French won the first quarter 25:23 and the second 20:15, before taking the key step toward the final after the break. They won the third period 19:12 and entered the final quarter with a 64:50 lead. Germany was unable to bring the game back into uncertainty, and France also won the final quarter, 22:14, for a final score of 86:64.
Gabby Williams was France's most important player and finished the game with 22 points. Janelle Salaün added 14 points and 11 rebounds, Marine Johannès 13, and Valériane Ayayi 10. For Germany, Nyara Sabally and Marie Gülich scored 12 points each, while Gülich also recorded 10 rebounds. According to FIBA data, France led for almost the entire game, and its largest advantage was 22 points. The French made 45 percent of their field-goal attempts and 37 percent of their three-point attempts, maintaining a sufficiently high offensive pace that Germany could not erase the deficit through the energy of the home crowd alone.
France's qualification for the final is a historic result. Ahead of the semifinal, FIBA recalled that before Berlin, the last time France had been among the top four national teams at a World Cup was at the very first edition of the competition in 1953. In the meantime, it had been eliminated in the quarterfinals six times, so the 90:61 victory over China in the 2026 quarterfinal ended a decades-long series of failures at that stage of the tournament. By defeating Germany, the national team took another step and reached a game for the world gold medal for the first time.
France reached the final in Berlin unbeaten. In Group B it defeated Hungary 99:53, South Korea 95:69 and Nigeria 111:56, before beating China 90:61 in the quarterfinals. Already in the group stage, the French offense was among the most efficient in the tournament, while the depth of the rotation made it possible to maintain high intensity throughout entire games. The semifinal, however, showed that the team can also respond when an opponent remains within reach for a longer period. That combination of depth, athletic ability and outside shooting will be essential against the American defense.
Rematch of the Paris 2024 final carries a completely different prize
The two national teams last faced each other in the Olympic Games final in Paris on August 11, 2024. FIBA's official game report records a 67:66 USA victory in one of the most dramatic finishes of the Olympic tournament. France held a double-digit lead at one point in that game, but the Americans came back and won their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal. Gabby Williams scored 19 points for France, and her final basket at the buzzer counted for two points, leaving the French national team one point short of forcing overtime.
Two years later, the circumstances are different, but the core of the rivalry remains recognizable. France arrives in Berlin as a team that played convincingly on its way to the final and now has the opportunity to win its first world championship title. At the same time, the USA is defending a streak of four consecutive world gold medals and is trying to claim a record 12th title. FIBA's historical records show how large the difference in tradition is: the USA has 11 titles and a total of 14 World Cup medals, while France had never played in a final before Berlin and won its only medal in 1953, when it finished third.
Still, the result of the Olympic final in Paris is a warning that the historical record does not necessarily have to be decisive in a single game. France was only one point away from ending American Olympic dominance at the time, and several key players from that contest again have important roles in 2026. Williams confirmed in the semifinal against Germany that she can take on offensive responsibility, while Breanna Stewart leads the more experienced part of the American lineup and has already been the most reliable option several times in Berlin when games reached decisive moments. The final will therefore also be a new tactical duel between French aggressiveness on the perimeter and the American ability to raise defensive intensity late in games.
Berlin gets a finale between two unbeaten national teams
The 2026 World Cup is being held in Berlin from September 4 to 13, with 16 national teams participating. According to FIBA's official schedule, the bronze-medal game between Spain and Germany will be played on September 13 at 16:30 local time, while the USA-France final is scheduled for 20:00. The final day will therefore also give host Germany an opportunity to win a medal after its historic semifinal appearance, while also delivering the main showdown between two national teams that reached the decisive game unbeaten.
For Berlin, the final brings the conclusion of a tournament that returned to Germany almost three decades after the 1998 World Cup, where the USA also won the title. During the final stage, the city brought together some of the biggest stars in international women's basketball, and both semifinals drew 12,650 spectators each. Visitors traveling to the German capital for the final day of the championship can also find accommodation offers in Berlin.
From a sporting perspective, the final has a clear historical dimension on both sides. The Americans can win their fifth consecutive world gold medal and 12th title overall, further extending their lead at the top of the list of the most successful national teams in the history of the competition. France, on the other hand, has already achieved the best result in its history, but after a convincing tournament in Berlin it will not be satisfied simply with reaching the final. After Olympic gold slipped away by just one point in Paris, another game against the USA represents an opportunity to turn France's greatest success on the world stage into a championship title.
What will decide the final
The semifinals offered a good indication of what could be crucial on September 13. Against Spain, the USA showed that it can survive a game in which its offense is not dominant and then defensively lock down the opponent in the final quarter. Against Germany, France demonstrated greater offensive fluidity and a more balanced distribution of points, with Williams as the first option and strong support from Salaün, Johannès and Ayayi. If France manages to maintain the breadth of its offense and reduce the number of empty possessions, it can once again put America in a situation similar to the one in Paris. If, however, the USA imposes physical intensity and controls the closing stages as it did against Spain, the defending champions' historic streak will be difficult to break.
Off-ball movement and perimeter defense will also carry particular importance. France has shown throughout the tournament that it can punish opponents with outside shooting, while the Americans have enough depth to rotate defenders and maintain high intensity throughout the entire game. Offensively, the USA does not have to depend on a single player, but Stewart's experience in major games and her ability to contribute in multiple areas give the national team a stable point when the pace slows. France will therefore likely look for as much transition as possible, quick changes of side and situations in which Williams and Johannès can attack before the American defense is fully set.
Regardless of the outcome, the Berlin final already has a place in the history of the competition. For the USA, it is a continuation of an exceptionally long period of dominance and another opportunity to confirm its status as the most successful national team in World Cup history. For France, it is a first World Cup final and an opportunity, two years after the painful defeat in Paris, to change the ending of the story against the same opponent. On Sunday evening in Berlin, one national team will attempt to preserve an order that has lasted for decades, while the other will try for the first time to seriously overturn it on the world's biggest stage.
Sources:
- FIBA - official game report of the Spain - USA semifinal, score by quarters, statistics and attendance (link)
- FIBA - official game report of the France - Germany semifinal, score by quarters, statistics and attendance (link)
- FIBA - official 2026 World Cup page, tournament results, schedule and statistical overview (link)
- FIBA - overview of World Cup history and the USA's 11 titles before the 2026 final (link)
- FIBA - official game report of the France - USA Olympic final in Paris 2024 (link)
- USA Basketball - context of the American path through the tournament, roster and the role of head coach Kara Lawson (link)
- Associated Press / The Washington Post - report on France's victory over Germany and qualification for the final (link)
- The Guardian - report on the USA - Spain semifinal, Breanna Stewart's performance and Kara Lawson's comments on the late-game defense (link)