The United States claimed the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup for a record-extending 12th time on Sunday, defeating a resilient France 97-79 in the final held in Berlin. The victory also marked the Americans' fifth consecutive world title and stretched their unbeaten run at the tournament to 36 matches — a streak dating back to a semifinal defeat in 2006.
France, appearing in their first-ever World Cup final, made a compelling case for an upset in the opening half. The French built a 14-point lead midway through the second quarter, exploiting early American errors and capitalising on sharp shooting from forward and captain Gabby Williams, who scored 16 points before the break. The US trailed by two at half-time, their largest deficit in the tournament. But coach Kara Lawson's side came out transformed after the interval, outscoring France 30-12 in a dominant third quarter that effectively decided the contest. Williams managed only four more points after half-time as the French side lost their composure against the American surge.
Veteran forward Breanna Stewart led all scorers with 22 points, while Jackie Young contributed 18, including four three-pointers that helped claw back the half-time deficit. Caitlin Clark — the Indiana Fever guard whose profile has surged in recent years — had a quiet semifinal but delivered when it counted in the final, finishing with 12 points including two three-pointers. The Americans' lead stretched to as many as 27 points before the final buzzer. France's Dominique Malonga finished with 21 points for the silver medallists in what remains the best-ever result in French women's basketball history, though the defeat will sting: France lost the gold medal match at the Paris 2024 Olympics to the same opponent by a single point.
The US team's path to the title was not without difficulty. They came close to shock defeats against Italy in the group stage and Spain in the semifinals, where Spain levelled the score at 58-58 three-quarters of the way through before being edged out. Spain recovered to claim bronze on Sunday with an 81-58 victory over Germany, who were making their first appearance in the World Cup semifinals as a unified nation.
The result cements the United States' extraordinary dominance of the women's game on the world stage. France's run to the final, having not conceded defeat by fewer than 20 points throughout the tournament before Sunday, signals a closing of the gap — but for now, American supremacy remains firmly intact.