The U.S. women's basketball team has reached the FIBA Women's World Cup gold medal game after defeating Spain 76-66 in the semifinals. The Americans will face France in the championship on Sunday, a rematch of the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal game.
Breanna Stewart scored a team-high 16 points in the semifinal victory. "This is our standard here with Team USA," Stewart said. "It's literally about us. Everything that we do is going to dictate what happens in [Sunday's] game and making sure that’s the main focus as we continue to look inward."
This marks the United States' return to the World Cup final as four-time defending champions. The team entered the tournament aiming for a continuation of a dominant streak that had seen them not lose a World Cup game since the 2006 semifinals. Saturday's win extended their consecutive win streak across Olympic and FIBA World Cup play to 71 games.
However, the path to the final in Berlin was not without challenges. The U.S. faced a late deficit against Italy in the group stage, narrowly winning 55-52, before regaining form against Hungary in the quarterfinals. The semifinal against Spain proved particularly demanding, with the U.S. trailing for most of the first quarter and facing their largest deficit of the tournament, 9-1. Spain's defense applied pressure, forcing turnovers and contesting shots.
The game was tied at 58 entering the fourth quarter. The U.S. then went on a decisive 12-2 run to build a 10-point lead with 5:20 remaining, ultimately securing the victory. "Really happy with the way that we continued to kind of learn throughout the game," Stewart commented on the performance against Spain. "Spain is a tough team, obviously a young team, but they’re really feisty and energetic, and we don’t overlook any of our opponents."
France secured its place in the final by defeating Germany 86-64. The French team enters the championship game undefeated and has won its matches by an average of 35.6 points. Key players for France include Gabby Williams, Dominique Malonga, Janelle Salaun, and Marine Johannes. While this is France's first World Cup gold medal game appearance, eight of its players have Olympic experience from Paris. The U.S. team heading into the final has six players who were part of the Olympic gold medal-winning team.
"We won that game [in Paris]," Stewart said when asked about the upcoming rematch. "That game is over. This is a completely new game [Sunday]. … We’re going to make sure our scout is great, and we’re locked in and ready to go."