Five storylines to watch in the FIBA Women’s World Cup gold medal game
USA TODAY Studio IX’s Callie Fin explains all of the interesting storylines that will unfold when Team USA faces France in the gold medal game of the FIBA Women’s World Cup.
It’s the FIBA Women’s World Cup gold medal game everyone expected.
Team USA will go head-to-head against France in the final on Sunday, Sept. 13, in Berlin, Germany. It’s a rematch of the 2024 Olympic gold medal game in which the U.S. narrowly defeated France, 67-66.
“This is our standard here with Team USA. … Everything that we do is going to dictate what happens in tomorrow’s game,” said Breanna Stewart, who’s averaging 11 points throughout the tournament. “There’s going to be a ton of emotions in this game … the team that really regulates that and handles that best that will have the advantage.”
If Sunday’s matchup feels familiar, you’re not the only one with a case of déjà vu. France entered the gold medal game at the 2024 Paris Games with an opportunity to stop USA’s bid for an eighth consecutive Olympic gold. On Sunday, the French will enter the Women’s World Cup final with a chance to end another run.
USA is vying for its fifth consecutive World Cup title and 12th overall. France is in pursuit of its first title in its first World Cup final appearance.
“If I’m honest, we have nothing to lose,” said Marine Johannes, France’s second leading scorer behind Gabby Williams. “We actually know they are a great team. They won every World Cup for years and years. They’re really talented. We all know that. We are playing with this kind of player actually all season in the W. We know how good they are, but again, it’s one game, nothing to lose. We are going to play hard, and we’ll see what happens.”
USA TODAY Sports is providing live updates of the gold medal match on Sunday, including key moments, highlights and more. Here’s what you need to know:
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France’s Dominique Malon
With 18 points, six rebounds and five assists, she becomes the first player in Women’s World Cup history to have at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in a final, according to the TNT broadcast.
Eight players for Team USA have scored as the U.S. builds its lead against France. At the 6:01 mark, It’s 86-59, and Breanna Stewart has 20 points. There’s also three players in double figures with Stewart, including Caitlin Clark.
Caitlin Clark was called for an offensive foul with 9:54 remaining in the fourth quarter after making contact with France’s Leila Lacan. To add insult to injury, Clark was then whistled for a technical foul. Gabby Williams missed the technical free throw as France trailed 73-57.
The United States cranked out a 30-point third quarter to help its case for its gold medal push, holding France to just 12 points and just one 3-pointer made. That’s a dramatic change. Jackie Young leads the way with 18 points. Also, in case you were wondering, Caitlin Clark hit another shot at the buzzer, because why not.
Gabby Williams did not score in the frame for France. She has just 16 points after a hot start. No other French player is in double digits.
USA’s Kahleah Copper was slow to get up after France’s Marinne Johannes appeared to make contact with Copper’s face while trying to stop her driving layup attempt. The incident happened with 50.8 seconds remaining in the third quarter. A reach-in foul was initially called on Dominique Malonga, but officials reviewed the play and called Johannes was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Copper was awarded four free throws and possession of the ball.
At the 1:14 mark of the third quarter, the U.S. has a 10-point lead and counting against France. It’s 64-54 as the U.S. rolls into the final frame. It’s the United States’ largest lead of the game.
Angel Reese’s gritty face after the United States took the lead might just become a meme.
Whatever Kara Lawson said to the USA at halftime. It’s working. Team USA is up 54-47 at the 6:29 mark of the third quarter. It’s Breanna Stewart (16 points), Jackie Young (15 points) and Chelsea Gray (10 points) leading the way, but the whole team has turned up the intensity on both ends of the floor.
Don’t blink. Breanna Stewart has come alive, and she is now up to 16 points on 67% shooting. She also has seven rebounds. Stewart has now tied France’s Gabby Williams with a game-high 16 points.
The U. S. leads 52-47 at the 6:55 mark. It’s on a 9-2 run.
USA head coach Kara Lawson said her team needs to make some adjustments defending the perimeter after France made eight 3-pointers in the first half.
“I think we settled into too wide of a cushion,” Lawson said at halftime. “We need to get up to their shooters, make them take more tightly-contested shots, and then just be smarter on some of our inch outs when they make drives. They’re the best 3-point shooting team here so far this year, so we definitely got to do a better job of that.”
The “Young and Turnt” crew sealed a solid second quarter for Team USA after it got dicey. Angel Reese forced a turnover just before the half, and Caitlin Clark drained a 3-ball to cut the lead to two as time expired. France is up 45-43 after leading by as much as 14.
Gabby William has 16 points and three steals. Behind her leadership, France also has eight triples. However, the U.S. is not going away. It responded with a fury and got a lot of help from its veterans. Breann Stewart has 12, Jackie Young has 13 and Chelsea Gray has 10 points.
Gabby Williams has been unstoppable so far. The French star is up to 16 points in the gold-medal game, shooting 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from the 3-point line. Williams also has three steals, two assists and one rebound.
She leads all scorers.
France is making it rain from behind the arc. The French have already drained seven 3-pointers before halftime, with still about four minutes remaining. France is 7-of-11 from deep. That’s 63% .
Team USA only needed one minute and 38 seconds to go on a 10-2 run and cut the double-digit deficit to single digits. It’s 33-27, France at the 5:29 mark of the second. Some big buckets from Breann Stewart and Jackie Young have helped. Stewart has 10 points. Jackie Young has nine.
France is rolling against the United States. It’s 28-17 two minutes into the second quarter after France went on a 8-0 run to open the frame. The USA has few answers right now, missing all five shots in the quarter.
France’s defense is smothering the United States, which is also causing some disruption. Team USA has forced France to give up the ball five times, while France has pressured the U.S. into six turnovers.
Still, France leads by three after the first frame.
Chelsea Gray, Breanna Stewart and Gabby Williams all have six points each, tying the list for the game’s top scorer. Both teams are shooting 54% from the field.
Marine Johannes secures her 20th 3-pointer of the World Cup, and it was a beauty.
The Women’s World Cup gold-medal game has just begun, but Breanna Stewart has already made history. Stewart got USA on the board with a pair of free throws to record her 268th career World Cup point. She passed Cheryl Miller to become USA’s fifth all-time points leader.
More history is on the line. Stewart, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, is appearing in her fourth World Cup, joining Sue Bird (5) and Diana Taurasi (4) as the only American women to make at least four appearances. If USA goes on to win gold, Stewart will tie Bird for the most World Cup gold medals.
Breanna Stewart already has six points for Team USA, and does Chelsea Gray. They have 12 of the United States’ 15 points.
Check out this stat: According to the TNT broadcast, France has only trailed for 14 minutes out of 200 possible game minutes at the World Cup. That’s right. Once the team gets a lead, they rarely give it up.
The ball has tipped off in Berlin, Germany. USA won the tip, and away we go. Breanna Stewart scored the game’s first points at the free-throw line.
Team USA head coach Kara Lawson isn’t making any changes to her starting lineup. She’s sticking with the same unit that has started all five games in the tournament:
- Kahleah Copper, G/F
- Napheesa Collier, F
- Chelsea Gray, G
- Breanna Stewart, F
- Jackie Young, G
Following USA’s semifinal win over Spain on Saturday, American Breanna Stewart was asked for her quick thoughts on France.
“They’re a really tough team. They’re shooting the (expletive) out of the ball this tournament,” she said.
That’s not an understatement. France is leading the tournament in points per game (96.2), field goal percentage (51.6%) and 3-point percentage (44.2%) through five games.
In comparison, USA is averaging 87.6 points per game (second in the tournament), shooting 45.9% from the field and 31.8% from the 3-point line, which ranks third and ninth at the World Cup, respectively.
Team USA won’t be back in action on the international stage until the 2027 FIBA AmeriCup. The winner of this tournament, held in El Salvador from July 3-11, will qualify for the 2028 Olympics. For the Americans, the stakes are relatively low since they are automatically qualified for the Summer Games in Los Angeles as the host country. In recent years, Team USA has sent a squad mostly featuring college players to the AmeriCup, even though professionals might play for other teams.
In 2025, Team USA went undefeated at the AmeriCup to qualify for this World Cup. Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes was the MVP of that tournament, while the roster also featured Olivia Miles, Audi Crooks, Hannah Hidalgo and Flau’Jae Johnson. ― Mitchell Northam
The rest of the world will have to wait until 2028 for another chance to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics.The Olympic tournament at LA28 will have a 12-country field. As hosts, the U.S. women are automatically guaranteed a spot. So, too, the winner of the FIBA World Cup, should it be a country other than the United States.
The remaining spots for LA28 will be filled through continental championships in Africa, Asia-Oceania, Europe and the Americas, to be played Feb. 10-13, 2028. The top three teams at those tournaments will earn Olympic berths unless Team USA, or France should it win the World Cup, finish in the top three. Then, only two spots will be awarded from that continental tournament.
The women’s tournament at LA28 begins July 12, 2028, with the gold-medal game July 29. The U.S. women have won a record eight consecutive Olympic titles. ― Nancy Armour
Marine Johannes is France’s second-leading scorer behind Gabby Williams, averaging 15.8 points, 3.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds across five games. Johannes is shooting a blistering 53.2% from the field and 46.3% from the 3-point line. Her 19 made 3-pointers lead the tournament.
Johannes is ninth all-time among France’s scoring leaders with 153 career points
Guard Caitlin Clark is averaging seven points, 5.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds across five games this tournament, where she’s averaged 20.6 minutes off the bench. Clark has struggled to find her offensive rhythm so far, shooting 29.4% from the field and 22.7% from the 3-point line. But she’s made her impact in other ways, leading the team in assists. Clark’s best performance came in the USA’s 94-61 win over China to open the tournament, where she recorded a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Much has been made about the USA vs. France matchup at the World Cup. The last time the two teams played was in 2024 at the Paris Olympics. The United States squeaked by with a 67-66 win, but team captain Breanna Stewart did not lean into the narrative of France is motivated to win Sunday’s game because of that loss.
“That’s over. We won that game. That game is over. This is a completely new game tomorrow, and everyone has their own things that continue to motivate them. But I think that what I’ll continue to be preaching to this team is like we’re gonna turn the page on everything. This is one game to win the gold medal and the World Cup in Berlin, and that’s our entire focus,” USA forward Breanna Stewart said.
“And we’re gonna make sure our scout is great and we’re locked in and ready to go, but, yeah, I’ve been in these games. The emotions — the emotional part of it is really what’s really gonna kind of teeter teams to kind of not go their way. And my team, we’re gonna be locked in. We’re gonna be very composed. Doesn’t matter what happens to us. We know it’s gonna be a long game.”
USA forward Breanna is averaging 11 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists through five games this tournament. She’s shooting 51.4% from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point line. Stewart’s best scoring performance came in USA’s 105-64 blowout over Czechia with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 17 minutes.
Stewart is fifth all-time among the United States’ scoring leaders with 153 career points
On Saturday, Team USA captain Breanna Stewart shared her message to the team ahead of the World Cup gold medal game against France.
“My message to the team is this is our standard here with Team USA, and It’s about us. It’s literally about us. Everything that we do is literally going to dictate what happens in tomorrow’s game and making sure that that’s the main focus ― is we continue to look inward,” USA forward Breanna Stewart said. “There’s gonna be a ton of emotions in this game, and it’s gonna be the team that really kind of regulates that and handles that best that will have the advantage.”
The FIBA World Cup takes place every four years. The next Women’s World Cup is in Tokyo, Japan, from November 26 to December 8, 2030.
France forward Gabby Williams has been excellent at this year’s World Cup. She’s averaging 18.4 points per game on 56.9% from the field, which leads the French national team. She’s also tallying 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 and 2.8 steals across the 2026 tournament. Williams is third all-time among France’s scoring leaders with 187 career points
“It’s just great to have her as an example … of consistency, of just hard work and aggressiveness throughout all the game,” France center Dominique Malonga said of Williams. “It was a tough night for me, and just having her talking to me and pouring into me, having her energy helped a lot.”
Here are the referees officiating Sunday’s gold medal game in Berlin.
- Julio Anaya (PAN)
- Ariadna Chueca (ESP)
- Gatis Salins (LAT)
The Spain national team is on the World Cup podium for the first time since 2018. It walks away with a bronze medal after an 81-58 win over Germany Sunday. The medal was the country’s third bronze and fourth total medal in World Cup play.
Spain guard Iyana Martin led the way with 22 points and nine assists. She also had four rebounds and two steals.
The United States is seeking its fifth straight World Cup gold medal and 12th overall. However, before the tournament, head coach Kara Lawson warned it could be their most difficult yet.
“Now, when you look at rosters, there’s a number of just high-quality players. The depth of these rosters is really strong,” USA Basketball head coach Kara Lawson said. “I think it’s gonna be the most difficult World Cup to win that we’ve had because of that, which is exciting. I mean, you should want it to be difficult, you know? It should be hard to win. It’s a World Cup, you know?”
For the first time in the country’s history, the French have made it to the World Cup gold medal game. They hope to stop the United States, which is on a 35-game win streak and seeking its fifth consecutive World Cup title.
- Head coach: Kara Lawson
- Assistant coaches: Natalie Nakase, Nate Tibbetts, Stephanie White
| Pos. | No. | Name | Age | Height | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 4 | Paige Bueckers | 24 | 6’0″ | Dallas Wings |
| G | 5 | Sonia Citron | 22 | 6’1″ | Washington Mystics |
| SF | 6 | Rhyne Howard | 25 | 6’2″ | Atlanta Dream |
| G/F | 7 | Kahleah Copper | 32 | 6’1″ | Phoenix Mercury |
| G | 8 | Chelsea Gray | 33 | 5’11” | Las Vegas Aces |
| PF | 9 | Kiki Iriafen | 23 | 6’3″ | Washington Mystics |
| PF | 10 | Breanna Stewart | 32 | 6’3″ | New York Liberty |
| SF | 11 | Napheesa Collier | 29 | 6’1″ | Minnesota Lynx |
| G | 12 | Caitlin Clark | 24 | 6’0″ | Indiana Fever |
| G | 13 | Jackie Young | 28 | 6’0″ | Las Vegas Aces |
| C | 14 | Aliyah Boston | 24 | 6’5″ | Indiana Fever |
| PF | 15 | Angel Reese | 24 | 6’3″ | Atlanta Dream |
- Head coach: Jean-Aimé Toupane
- Assistant coach: David Gautier, Christophe Léonard, Grégory Halin
| Pos. | No. | Name | Age | Height | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF | 11 | Valériane Ayayi | 32 | 6’0″ | Phoenix Mercury |
| F | 13 | Janelle Salaün | 24 | 6’2″ | Golden State Valkyries |
| C | 14 | Dominique Malonga | 20 | 6’6″ | Seattle Storm |
| SF | 15 | Gabby Williams | 29 | 5’11” | Golden State Valkyries |
| PG | 20 | Carla Leite | 22 | 5’9″ | Portland Fire |
| C | 22 | Marième Badiane | 31 | 6’3″ | PF Schio |
| SG | 23 | Marine Johannès | 31 | 5’10” | New York Liberty |
| SG | 28 | Mamignan Touré | 31 | 5’11” | Beşiktaş |
| C | 31 | Aminata Gueye | 24 | 6’3″ | Casademont Zaragoza |
| G | 42 | Leïla Lacan | 22 | 5’11” | Connecticut Sun |
| PG | 47 | Romane Bernies | 33 | 5’7″ | BLMA |
| G | 98 | Pauline Astier | 24 | 5’11” | New York Liberty |
Women’s World Cup: What time is USA vs. France?
Team USA faces off against France in the FIBA Women’s World Cup gold-medal game at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 13, at Berlin Arena in Berlin, Germany.
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
- Time: 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT)
- Location: Berlin Arena (Berlin)
What TV channel is USA vs. France on today?
TNT has the exclusive U.S. English-language rights. All games are streaming on HBOMax.
Team USA FIBA Women’s World Cup schedule
- Friday, Sept. 4: USA 94, China 61 | Full recap, highlights
- Sunday, Sept. 6: USA 55, Italy 52 | Full recap, highlights
- Monday, Sept. 7: USA 105, Czechia 64 | Full recap, highlights
- Thursday, Sept. 10: USA 108, Hungary 56 | Quarterfinal recap, highlights
- Saturday, Sept. 12: USA 77, Spain 67 | Semifinal recap, highlights
- Sunday, Sept. 13: USA vs. France (Final) | TNT, truTV (TBD)
The Women’s World Cup third-place game featuring Germany and Spain will be held on Sunday, Sept. 13 (TNT, truTV) at 10:30 a.m. ET.
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