USA women crush Hungary 108:56 and reach World Cup semifinals: Collier leads record-setting night in Berlin
The United States women's national basketball team convincingly secured a place in the semifinals of the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin, defeating Hungary 108:56 in the quarterfinal played on September 10. Napheesa Collier was the leading figure for the American team with 19 points and six rebounds, but the enormous 52-point margin was above all the result of roster depth, a high tempo and a defense that, almost from the opening minutes, deprived Hungary of any realistic chance of making the game competitive. According to official FIBA data, all 12 American players got on the scoresheet, while five players finished in double figures. The victory also produced several World Cup knockout-stage records and confirmed that the reigning champions, despite the serious warning they had received against Italy a few days earlier, remain the tournament's main benchmark. After the remaining quarterfinals were completed, it also became known that the USA will play Spain on Saturday, September 12, for a place in the final.
Game decided in the first quarter
The Americans imposed a pace on Hungary from the opening tip that their opponents were unable to follow. They won the first quarter 36:12, while Collier scored ten points in the opening ten minutes, setting the tone for a game in which the USA established early control both in the paint and in transition. The Associated Press reported that at one stage of the first half, the Americans made 20 of their first 26 field-goal attempts, or roughly 77 percent, including five of their first six three-point attempts. With six minutes remaining before halftime, the score was already 50:18, so the question of the winner had effectively been settled long before the final stages. The USA went into halftime leading 59:30, which, according to FIBA, was a record number of first-half points by a team in a World Cup quarterfinal and also the best American scoring performance through 20 minutes in any knockout game at the competition.
Hungary managed to slow the surge somewhat in the second quarter and lost that period by a more respectable 23:18, but after the break another American run followed. The USA ended the third quarter leading 93:47, a 46-point advantage, and there was no need to overuse the key players during the final ten minutes. Such a course of the game allowed head coach Kari Lawson to use a broad rotation and distribute playing time more evenly without losing intensity on defense or in transition. The American team maintained pressure on the ball, consistently looked for the advantage after the first pass and punished almost every Hungarian mistake. The final 108:56 score was therefore not the result of one huge run, but of forty minutes of systematic superiority in speed, individual quality and decision-making.
Records that show the scale of American dominance
After the game, FIBA highlighted several historic figures. With 108 points scored, the USA became the highest-scoring team in a single quarterfinal game in Women's World Cup history, while 31 assists also set a new record for that stage of the competition. The Americans also became the first team ever to reach at least 30 assists in a World Cup quarterfinal. Their 59 first-half points established a new quarterfinal record, while the 29-point halftime lead was the largest ever recorded at the break in a game at that stage. According to FIBA's historical comparison of knockout games since 1986, the 108 points tie the second-highest offensive output in the elimination stage; only Brazil scored more, with 110 against the USA in the 1994 semifinal.
The numbers from the game itself further explain why the margin was so large. According to FIBA, the USA made 40 of 68 field-goal attempts, including 12 of 23 three-pointers, along with 42 rebounds, 31 assists, 17 steals and five blocks. Yahoo Sports also reported a 52:16 advantage in points in the paint and 28:3 in fast-break points. Such a combination of shooting accuracy and a large number of additional possessions is an especially difficult problem for a team trying to slow down the pace, because every lost possession can turn into an easy basket at the other end within seconds. The USA also recorded 31 assists on 40 made field goals, which clearly illustrates how collective the offense was. It was the movement of the ball, rather than isolation play by individual stars, that was one of the most striking features of the American performance.
Collier the leading scorer, but roster depth was the key
Collier, with 19 points and six rebounds, was named the player of the game by FIBA, and she produced that output in relatively limited minutes because the outcome had been decided early. Rhyne Howard added 15 points, while Kahleah Copper, Caitlin Clark and Jackie Young finished with ten each. Clark also handed out nine assists and finished one assist short of a double-double, while her ability to accelerate the transition game and find teammates was particularly visible during the stretches when the USA was breaking down Hungary's defense. Angel Reese finished with nine points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals, while players with smaller offensive roles also contributed on defense and on the boards. The fact that every USA player scored at least one basket allowed Lawson to maintain a high energy level without placing an excessive burden on the team's leading players.
The record 31 assists provide the clearest confirmation that the American offense did not depend on individual solutions but on rapid ball movement and timely recognition of the open teammate. For a national team made up of a large number of WNBA stars, such balance is important because it reduces dependence on the inspiration of one or two players and makes it harder for the opponent to decide whom to target with additional defensive attention. In a high-scoring game, the Americans did not lose their defensive identity; instead, they created a large share of their easy points precisely through pressure and steals. The high shooting percentage was therefore not an isolated offensive phenomenon, but a consequence of the quality of possessions the USA created through defense, transition and passing. That combination of depth and collective discipline once again looked in Berlin like the greatest American advantage over the rest of the tournament.
Hungary unable to get production from its most important post player
One of the USA's key defensive successes was containing Dorka Juhász, who entered the quarterfinal as Hungary's leading player around the basket. The Associated Press reported that she had averaged 15.3 points and 11 rebounds before the game, but against the USA she missed her first seven shots and did not score her first basket until late in the second quarter. She finished the game with only two points on 1-of-12 shooting, although, according to Yahoo Sports, she distributed eight assists. Reka Lelik was Hungary's leading scorer with 12 points, while Agnes Török added 11, but that distribution of production could not compensate for the problems in offensive organization and the large number of American points created after takeaways. Hungary found it particularly difficult to generate efficient finishes in the paint, where the American defense used physical strength, length and quick rotations.
The defeat does not change the fact that Hungary achieved a very significant result in Berlin. Ahead of the quarterfinal, FIBA pointed out that by reaching the last eight, the team had secured its best finish in the modern knockout format of the World Cup, while the Associated Press noted that the national team finished fifth in 1957 under a competition system that did not include today's medal elimination stage. At this year's tournament, Hungary followed a heavy 99:53 defeat to France by beating Nigeria 71:67 and South Korea 82:73, before defeating Japan 84:63 in the qualification game for the quarterfinals. Hungary therefore entered the meeting with the USA on a three-game winning streak and with visibly increased confidence. The gap against the reigning champions was enormous, but the path to the quarterfinals demonstrated the progress of a national team that arrived in Berlin outside the narrow circle of medal contenders.
From the warning against Italy to two displays of strength
The American path through the group stage was not completely smooth. USA Basketball states that the team opened the tournament with a 94:61 win over China and then defeated Italy only 55:52 in a physically demanding and closely contested game. That match raised questions about the offensive rhythm and the adjustment of a new group of players, especially because the USA is accustomed to much more convincing victories in the early stages of major competitions. The response, however, was extremely strong: the Czech Republic was beaten 105:64 in the final group game, followed by the 108:56 victory over Hungary. FIBA described the quarterfinal performance precisely as a response to the doubts that appeared after the Italy game, because in two consecutive matches the team once again combined high offensive efficiency with aggressive defense.
By defeating Hungary, the USA extended its winning streak at World Cups to 34 consecutive games, a run that dates back to the semifinal loss to Russia in 2006. NBC Sports reported that when World Cup and Olympic games are counted together, this was the 70th consecutive American victory across the two biggest international national-team competitions. The dominance is also evident in the titles: the USA won the last four World Cups, in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022, and according to USA Basketball, the team is chasing a fifth consecutive and 12th overall world gold medal in Berlin. Such continuity means that every new generation enters a tournament under double pressure, both as the favorite and as the guardian of a decades-long standard. The quarterfinal against Hungary has so far been the clearest proof that the current team can turn that burden into energy rather than a restraint.
Roster changed shortly before the World Cup
The American team did not arrive in Berlin with exactly the same roster that had originally been announced in early August. USA Basketball announced on August 31 that A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum, both two-time world champions, would be unable to participate for health reasons, so Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen were subsequently added. This gave the team an even more pronounced mix of experienced medal winners and players going through their first senior World Cup. That depth was again visible in the quarterfinal because Lawson did not have to search for solutions exclusively among the best-known names but received contributions from almost every rotation. Citron briefly left the court in the third quarter after taking a blow to the nose, the Associated Press reported, but returned at the beginning of the final period, easing concerns about a potentially more serious consequence.
The changes to the roster further emphasized the importance of quickly building chemistry, and the assists and distribution of points against Hungary demonstrated progress in that area. The national team combines established leaders such as Collier, Breanne Stewart and Chelsea Gray with players belonging to the newer wave of American basketball, including Clark, Paige Bueckers, Reese, Citron and Iriafen. Such a structure gives the USA the ability to play in different lineups without a major drop in quality. At the same time, the tournament in Berlin also serves as an important test for the period leading toward the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, although the immediate goal is clearly defined: defending the world title. Against Hungary, that generational transition looked almost effortless, but the semifinal against Spain will provide a significantly more demanding test.
Spain is the next obstacle on the road to a fifth consecutive title
At the moment the USA-Hungary quarterfinal ended, the Americans' next opponent was not yet known, but the later program on September 10 provided the answer. Spain defeated Australia 89:66 and secured a semifinal against the reigning world champions. According to the official FIBA schedule, the USA and Spain will play on September 12 in Berlin at 18:00 local time, while France and host Germany will meet in the first semifinal of the day at 14:30. The final and the third-place game are scheduled for September 13. The tournament thus enters a phase in which there is no longer room for correction after a poor night, and the American national team is two victories away from a fifth consecutive world gold medal.
Spain enters the semifinal after a convincing performance against Australia and with a significantly different tournament path from Hungary. According to FIBA results, Spain defeated Germany 83:53 and Japan 79:59 in the group stage, while its only defeat came against Mali, 82:73, after which it advanced directly to the quarterfinals as the group winner. The USA therefore can hardly expect the scenario of a 24-point lead after the first quarter simply to repeat itself. Still, the quarterfinal showed why the Americans continue to carry the status of the team everyone else must beat if they want the title: they can score more than one hundred points, create open shots through passing, dominate in transition and at the same time hold the opposing team's key players far below their averages. After the brief alarm against Italy, the last two games restored the image of the USA as an exceptionally stable favorite, and the semifinal against Spain will show whether the record-setting night against Hungary was the peak of the team's form or a sign of an even stronger finish to the championship.
Sources:
- FIBA - official report on the USA victory over Hungary, game records and statistical comparisons (link)
- FIBA - official 2026 World Cup page, results, schedule and knockout pairings (link)
- Associated Press / Local 10 - quarterfinal report, individual performances and context of Hungary's placement (link)
- Yahoo Sports - detailed quarterfinal statistics, scoring distribution and performances of the American players (link)
- NBC Sports - American winning streak, Collier's performance and context of the USA's World Cup campaign (link)
- USA Basketball - USA group-stage results and context entering the knockout stage (link)
- USA Basketball - changes to the American roster immediately before the World Cup (link)