The United States comes back against France to claim its fifth consecutive title at the FIBA Women's World Cup

The U.S. women's basketball team clinched its fifth consecutive title at the FIBA World Cup after defeating France 97-79 in the championship game.

The victory not only extended the team's winning streak to 36 consecutive games in the tournament, their last loss dates back to the 2006 semifinals against Russia, but also improved their record to a perfect 9-0 in gold medal games since 1983.

Despite the lopsided final score, the U.S. team overcame its largest deficit in the tournament in quite some time. The French came out with great intensity, dominating the first quarter 20–17 and stringing together an 11–0 run early in the second quarter to take a 31–17 lead.

However, the Americans mounted a comeback before halftime, led by Breanna Stewart and Jackie Young, managing to cut the deficit to 45-43 thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer by rookie Caitlin Clark.

Veteran leadership and total domination after halftime

The turning point came in the third quarter, when the United States tightened its defense and unleashed a devastating offense. An early 11-2 run put the U.S. team ahead 54-47, fueled by four key points from Stewart.

Although France tried to stay in the game by closing the gap to 55-51, a 16-3 run by the defending champions sealed the game's outcome before heading into the final period with a 73-57 lead.

Stewart, who was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament after winning the fourth world title of her career, led the scoring with 22 points, followed by Young's 18 points.

For the French team, Dominique Malonga scored 21 points, and Gabby Williams added 20, securing their country's best-ever finish in this competition despite failing to defeat their rival in the close Olympic final at Paris 2024.

The U.S. team underwent a generational shift, fielding one of the youngest rosters in its recent history and incorporating rising stars such as Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers in their first stint with the senior team.

Although the team faced unusually close group-stage matches against Italy and Spain, the core of experienced players ultimately asserted American basketball's dominance and tradition to retain its world title.

In the bronze medal game, Spain defeated host Germany to claim a podium spot.