By: Reagan McLean
On Sunday, Sept. 12, the United States of America (USA) women’s basketball team won gold against their rivals, Team France, during the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup.
Team USA secured their 12th overall World Cup gold medal and kept their winning streak alive for the past 14 years.
The final score was 97-79; however, ever since the 2024 Olympics held in Paris, viewers have seen that Team USA isn’t the only dominant team in international basketball. International teams have shown they can be just as good as or even better than the reigning FIBA gold medalists.
The World Cup took place from Sep. 4-13, 2026. The games were divided between the Berlin and Max-Schmeling-Halle arenas, both located in Berlin, Germany.
Before the games began, U.S.A. Coach Kara Lawson opened up about this year’s World Cup being the most challenging for Team USA.
“There’s more depth to the teams at the World Cup. Now when you look at rosters, there’s a number of just high-quality players. […] I think it’s going to be the most difficult World Cup to win that we’ve had because of that,” Lawson said.
The journey to the gold medal match began on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. Team USA won their first game against Team China 94-61.
With 9:52 remaining in the second quarter, shooting guard Caitlin Clark made her international basketball debut with a deep three-pointer. In the post-game conference, Clark addressed the media about her performance and teammates.
“Anybody I pass the ball to, it feels like they’re never going to miss a shot. So that’s one of my goals when I come into the game: facilitate, play fast, set up my teammates, get into the paint, get some penetration,” shared Clark.
On Sunday, Sept. 6, the road to gold started to get complicated. Team USA played Team Italy and won 55-52. As the first quarter progressed, Italy fought back. Italy forced two turnovers within the first quarter and held Naphessa Collier and Breanna Stewart scoreless on three field-goal attempts.
Team Italy has been making Team USA uncomfortable on the court. No player on Team USA had scored more than six points, and most of the points came from the free-throw line. By halftime, the score was 30-24. In the end, Team USA pulled off the win against Italy.
Stewart spoke about the way Italy played and how it affected Team USA.
“Obviously, Italy really kind of mucked up the game for us a little bit, and it made it hard on us to score. Tough team […] this is a tough tournament, but we all really acknowledge that,” shared Stewart.
After the game against Italy, Team USA played Team Czechia on Monday, Sept. 7, Team Hungary on Thursday, Sept. 10, and Team Spain on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. Although Team USA won all these games, the game against Italy not only showed their resilience in bouncing back from a game that wasn’t up to Team USA’s standard, but also prepared them to face their rivals, Team France.
Although the finish line is near for Team USA’s road to gold, there was one more team in their way: France. Many fans predicted these two teams would meet in the finals this year. The last time they met, Team USA pulled off a miraculous 67-66 win.
During the post-game conference after the semi-final game against Germany, French guard Marine Johannès opened up about playing against Team USA and how the team is feeling ahead of the match.
“If I’m honest, we have nothing to lose. […] We are going to play hard and see what happens.” Johannès said.
Within the first three minutes, both teams scored 9 points. With a total of four ties and five lead changes in the first quarter, the score is France 20, USA 17.
In the second quarter, France goes on an 8-0 run, making this the largest deficit Team USA has seen in this tournament; however, Team USA has faced long battles and has built up a level of resilience. Team USA then went on a run of their own. Team USA turned the game into a two-possession game with a 10-2 run.
Team France has been keeping Team USA on their toes. Team USA has been forced into difficult passing windows and early ball pickups. One question remains: with Team USA trailing, can they still pull off a win, or will Team France get their revenge from two years ago by gaining their first gold medal?
Team USA came alive after halftime. Stewart started off the third quarter with a layup with 9:50 remaining on the game clock to tie the game 45-45. In this quarter, Young became the star player for Team USA. With 6:31 remaining in the third quarter, Young drives into the paint and makes the jump shot.
At the end of the third quarter, the score was 73-57, and Team USA outscored France 30-12 to build a 16-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of this game.
Keeping that same momentum heading into the fourth quarter, Team USA secured its 12th gold medal. Young was named Player of the Game and ended with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Stewart ended with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and was named the tournament MVP.
During the post-game interview, Stewart was asked about being a role model for the younger members of Team USA. Stewart said, “[Team USA is] the standard. We always have been, and we are continuing to do that, especially with this gold medal.”
Now that the FIBA World Cup is officially over, one more hurdle remains for the international players and the players on Team USA: the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) playoffs. Fans are now wondering whether the physical toll of the World Cup affects how Team USA and international players play as the WNBA transitions into the postseason. Fans will have to wait and see.