The French women's national basketball team, featuring eight players from the WNBA, is setting its sights on challenging the United States for the top spot at the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
This ambition was recently articulated by Gabby Williams, a player for the French national team and the Golden State Valkyries, who stated, "We're coming. See them in Berlin," in reference to a potential matchup with the U.S. squad. This sentiment follows a close contest against the U.S. women's national team during the 2024 Paris Olympics, where France narrowly missed securing a victory.
The growing presence of WNBA players on international rosters, like France's contingent, highlights the increasing competitiveness of global women's basketball. Marine Johannès, a guard for the New York Liberty and the French national team, has been recognized as a catalyst for this shift in French women's basketball.
The development underscores the intensifying global landscape of women's basketball, with teams like France demonstrating their capacity to compete at the highest level against established powerhouses like the United States.