Team USA Survives Early France Surge, Wins Fifth Straight FIBA World Cup Title

September 13, 2026

Team USA is once again the last team standing on the world stage. Sunday in Berlin, the Americans overcame a 14-point first-half hole to beat France 97-79 in the gold-medal game of the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, claiming their fifth consecutive world title and 12th overall.

For a stretch, it looked like France might pull off a genuine upset. Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga powered a strong first-half push that had Les Bleues out front 31-17 in the second quarter — a real statement from a French team playing in its first-ever World Cup final. But Team USA settled in before halftime, with Breanna Stewart and Jackie Young starting to chip away at the lead.

The turning point came in the third quarter, when Team USA locked in defensively and held France to just 12 points for the frame, flipping the game and taking control for good. That stretch is really the story of this game — Team USA came up huge in the third quarter, and that's the difference between this being a coronation and this being a genuine scare.

Chelsea Gray provided steady, veteran direction throughout, while Caitlin Clark added a spark off the bench in a support role. Breanna Stewart, for her part, turned in a solid, composed performance — she played like a leader, stayed under control through France's early push, and got the job done when it mattered most.

It's the latest chapter in a run that's defined the sport for two decades — Team USA has now won every Olympic and World Cup gold since 1996, with the exception of a bronze-medal finish in 2006. For France, reaching the final for the first time in program history — and doing it as a rematch of the 2024 Paris Olympics gold-medal game, which the U.S. won by a single point — is itself a marker of how far the program has come, even in a losing effort. There's still room to close the gap, but France is in a good position going forward off this run.

Final: USA 97, France 79