Up to date Sept. 12, 2026, 8:49 p.m. ET
Staff USA is one win away from claiming its fifth consecutive FIBA Girls’s World Cup title.
The People will meet France within the gold medal recreation on Sunday, Sept. 13, in Berlin, Germany. It will likely be a rematch of the 2024 Olympic gold medal recreation in Paris, the place USA narrowly defeated France, 67-66.
“My message to the group is that is our normal right here with Staff USA, and It is about us. It is actually about us,” Breanna Stewart mentioned. “Every thing that we do is actually going to dictate what occurs in tomorrow’s recreation and ensuring that that is the principle focus − is we proceed to look inward.
“There’s gonna be a ton of feelings on this recreation, and it is gonna be the group that actually sort of regulates that and handles that finest that may have the benefit.”
Staff USA punched its ticket to the ultimate with a 76-66 semifinal victory over Spain to increase its World Cup win streak to 35 video games.
“We obtained the largest (recreation) tomorrow,” Breanna Stewart mentioned. “We’re going for gold and that is what we’ll do.”
USA TODAY Sports activities rounded up the winners and losers from Staff USA’s semifinal win on Saturday:
Winners
USA’s Breanna Stewart
Breanna Stewart led USA with 16 factors within the win and the People wanted each final one, but it surely was Stewart’s protection that made a distinction down the stretch. Stewart obtained a steal with 7:01 remaining within the fourth quarter, which result in a quick break layup for Aliyah Boston to provide USA a 66-60 lead. Stewart’s stat line was rounded out by six rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal. She had an effectivity ranking of 20, Staff USA’s finest.
“Simply proceed to do the little issues, honing in on the rebounding, ensuring that we had been attending to the offensive glass,” Stewart mentioned after the win. “Defensively, we picked up within the second half, however that is going to be difficult and clearly.”
Her expertise was on show. Stewart, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, is showing in her fourth World Cup, becoming a member of Sue Hen (5) and Diana Taurasi (4) as the one American girls to make at the least 4 appearances. If USA goes on to win gold, Stewart will tie Hen for probably the most World Cup gold medals.
USA’s Kahleah Copper
Kahleah Copper’s breakout recreation of the event got here Saturday. She turned in a gritty efficiency, placing her head down and attending to the basket within the tightly-contested matchup. Copper completed with 13 factors, 4 rebounds and two assists, taking pictures 5-of-12 from the sphere. Lawson had Copper on the ground down the stretch, a vote of confidence in her means to influence either side of the ball. She was pivotal in limiting Spain to eight factors within the fourth quarter.
Spain’s Iyana Martin
The FIBA Girls’s World Cup served as Iyana Martin’s official popping out get together. Martin was chosen No. 7 total by the Portland Hearth within the 2026 WNBA Draft earlier this 12 months, however she delayed her debut to concentrate on nationwide group tasks. The transfer proved dividends for Martin, who led Spain in scoring throughout the event with 17 factors per recreation.
Saturday’s semifinal matchup towards USA was no completely different. Martin completed with a game-high 17 factors, three rebounds and three assists within the loss. 9 of Martin’s factors got here within the third quarter. The 20-year-old had many spotlight reel-worthy pictures on the day, however Martin sidestepping Jackie Younger within the second quarter to make a 3-point heave to beat the shot clock will certainly find yourself on ESPN’s Sportscenter.
Spain’s World Cup run could also be over, however Martin’s future is shiny.
Losers
Staff Spain
Coming into Saturday’s semifinal, Spain was the underdog towards group USA. It may need been capable of change that narrative, however couldn’t preserve its foot on the fuel.
Spain had misplaced its 5 earlier World Cup matches towards the U.S. by a mean margin of 24 factors, together with within the 2010 semifinal. Regardless of that, Spain coach Miguel Mendez emphasised to reporters that he was getting ready his group to make use of that historical past as gasoline.
“I do not know what number of video games we have performed towards america, but it surely’s at all times been on these varieties of huge levels. So this technology must pay attention to that,” he mentioned. “Get pleasure from competing, get pleasure from placing them on the ropes, get pleasure from pushing them again, get pleasure from attempting to beat them with the respect we’ve for them, however attempt to beat them.”
For the primary three quarters Spain seemed like a group ready to ship on its coach’s orders; getting off to a 9-1 begin to open the sport − the USA’s largest deficit of this World Cup − and tying the sport at 58 factors coming into the fourth quarter.
That each one fell aside within the remaining body, as Spain scored eight factors within the fourth quarter.
“We had been a bit out of rhythm. Actually, they’d one thing to do with that,” Staff USA coach Kara Lawson mentioned. “We had one thing to do with that as properly. We had been a bit sped up ourselves. So that you’re looking for it all through the course of the sport.
“When you do not have it, you are attempting to get it again. After which once you get it again, you are attempting to increase it so long as you may. So I believe it was simply a part of the sport, a part of basketball. We’re not gonna be good on each possession, however we discovered the momentum on the proper time.”
Spain is 0-12 towards the U.S. all-time.
USA’s 3-point taking pictures
For the event, the People are taking pictures 31.8% from deep − shocking given the variety of sharp shooters on the group. America has shot 28% or worst from 3-point vary in three of it is 5 World Cup matchups. The brilliant spots had been towards China (37.5%) to open the event and towards Hungary (52%) within the quarterfinals.
That does not precisely encourage confidence headed right into a gold medal recreation towards a motivated France group that’s taking pictures 52% from the sphere and a blistering 44.2% from deep. If the U.S. cannot get its 3-point shot to fall on Sunday, it is likely to be cooked.
Followers rooting for a chaotic event
This was the gold medal matchup that the majority of us predicted: USA vs. France in a rematch of the 2024 Olympics remaining. The oddsmakers out in Las Vegas thought this was the probably title recreation, as Staff USA and France had the highest two odds to win all of it on the 2026 FIBA World Cup.
France superior to the ultimate by defeating Germany, 86-64, Saturday behind 22 factors from Golden State Valkyries ahead Gabby Williams. In 2024, she gave Staff USA all they may deal with with 19 factors, seven rebounds and three steals. If France needs to tug off the upset this time, she’ll have to play a key function.
In the meantime, the People will want another person to step up. Within the remaining recreation of the 2024 Olympics, A’ja Wilson led all gamers in scoring and rebounding with 21 factors and 13 boards, whereas tallying 5 blocks. The Las Vegas Aces star is not enjoying within the World Cup for well being causes.
“That is one recreation to win the gold medal and the World Cup in Berlin and that is our whole focus,” USA ahead Breanna Stewart mentioned. “And we’re gonna make sure that our scout is nice and we’re locked in and able to go.
“The emotional a part of it’s actually what’s actually gonna sort of teeter groups to sort of not go their manner. And my group, we’re gonna be locked in. We’re gonna be very composed. Would not matter what occurs to us. We all know it is gonna be a protracted recreation.”
USA miscues
Self-inflicted wounds threatened to finish USA’s reign on the World Cup. The People had been attending to the free-throw line early and sometimes in Saturday’s semifinal matchup, however weren’t cashing in. USA was 27-of-35 from the free-throw line, taking pictures 77%.
“We did get to the free-throw line, however we missed greater than typical,” USA head coach Kara Lawson mentioned at halftime. “I really feel like we left some factors on the market on the ground.”
Ball safety was additionally a difficulty. The People had eight turnovers within the first half, resulting in eight factors for Spain. USA’s turnovers swelled to fifteen by the tip of the sport, as did Spain’s factors off turnovers (15). Staff USA had extra turnovers than assists (13) within the recreation.
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