Breanna Stewart and the United States overcame a determined France side, then pulled away after halftime to claim their fifth straight women’s FIBA World Cup championship.
The 97-79 triumph extended the Americans’ World Cup winning streak to 36 games, dating to their semifinal loss to Russia in 2006. The victory also lifted the U.S. to 9-0 in World Cup finals since falling to the Soviet Union in the 1983 championship game.
The final margin did little to reflect how difficult the contest was early on. France built the largest deficit the Americans had faced in the tournament in years, moving 14 points ahead in the first half. The U.S. responded behind Stewart and Jackie Young, cutting the gap to two by halftime before Caitlin Clark buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The momentum shifted decisively in the third quarter. The Americans opened the period with an 11-2 run to take a 54-47 lead, with Stewart scoring four points during the pivotal stretch. The title was Stewart’s fourth World Cup championship.
Stewart, who was selected as the tournament’s most valuable player, led the U.S. with 22 points. Young contributed 18.
AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi
France trimmed the deficit to 55-51, but the Americans answered with a 16-3 surge. The run included two unsportsmanlike fouls assessed to France on the same play. The U.S. carried a 73-57 advantage into the fourth quarter, and France could not mount another serious challenge.
The title came with one of the youngest U.S. rosters ever assembled for a World Cup. First-time national team participants such as Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers gained valuable experience, but it was the team’s established veterans who ultimately led the Americans to victory.
The U.S. had appeared more vulnerable than usual throughout the tournament. Its three-point win over Italy in pool play marked the closest group-stage result against the Americans in 50 years, while the 10-point semifinal victory over Spain was the narrowest semifinal margin during the current streak. In their previous four medal-round games, the Americans had won by an average of 26 points.
Those warning signs ultimately made no difference. The Americans closed the tournament exactly as they had the previous four World Cups: on top.
AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi
France still secured the best finish in its history at the event. The team had hoped to go one step further after narrowly losing to the U.S. in the 2024 Paris Olympic gold-medal game two years earlier. That one-point defeat remained a painful memory.
Dominique Malonga paced France with 21 points, while Gabby Williams finished with 20.
France seized control from the opening minutes, taking a 20-17 lead after the first quarter. The French then scored the first 11 points of the second period, capped by Williams’ 3-pointer, to move ahead 31-17. The Americans steadily fought back and entered halftime down 45-43 after Clark’s buzzer-beating 3.
Spain topped host Germany to win the bronze medal.
