USA vs. France: FIBA Women’s World Cup Final Showdown
Same teams. Same stakes. Different stage.
Team USA and France will collide once more for gold on Sunday, this time in Berlin at the FIBA Women’s World Cup final, a showdown that always felt inevitable as the bracket unfolded. It’s the sequel to their tense Olympic gold-medal game in Paris, where the U.S. escaped with a 67-66 win and an eighth straight Olympic title.
Now the Americans are chasing something just as imposing: a fifth consecutive World Cup crown and a 12th overall. France, meanwhile, stands on the brink of history, playing in its first World Cup final and hunting its first title.
The matchup tips off at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT) at Berlin Arena, with TNT and truTV carrying the game in the U.S. and streaming available on HBOMax.
A Dynasty vs. a Challenger With “Nothing to Lose”
For Team USA, this is not framed as a bonus opportunity. It’s the standard.
“This is our standard here with Team USA. ... Everything that we do is going to dictate what happens in tomorrow's game,” Breanna Stewart said, speaking as both leader and bar-setter. Stewart has averaged 11 points across the tournament, but her influence stretches far beyond the box score. “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.”
The Americans have rolled through Berlin with familiar authority. They opened by dismantling China 94-61 on Sept. 4, then had to grind through Italy in a 55-52 defensive slog two days later. Any questions about their offensive rhythm vanished quickly: a 105-64 rout of Czechia on Sept. 7, a 108-56 demolition of Hungary in the quarterfinals on Sept. 10, and a controlled 77-67 semifinal win over Spain on Sept. 12.
The pattern is clear. When the U.S. locks in, opponents get buried under waves of depth, pressure and shot-making. When they wobble, their defense still drags them over the line.
France knows that version of Team USA well. It saw it up close in Paris, where it came within a point of snapping the Olympic streak. That near-miss fuels Sunday’s belief.
“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.”
That’s the French posture: respect the giant, refuse to fear it.
Déjà Vu With Higher Stakes
If Sunday feels like a rerun, it’s because the storylines barely had time to cool.
At the 2024 Paris Games, France walked into its home Olympic final with a chance to derail the U.S. juggernaut and deny an eighth straight gold. It pushed the Americans to the edge and left the floor knowing it had the tools to compete with them at the very top.
Now the stage is Berlin, the tournament is the World Cup, and the stakes are framed slightly differently. USA is trying to extend a World Cup dynasty that has defined an era. France is trying to end two runs at once: the Olympic streak already dented but intact, and the World Cup run still untouched.
One side defends a legacy. The other tries to write a first chapter.
How to Watch: USA vs. France
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
- Time: 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT)
- Location: Berlin Arena, Berlin, Germany
- TV (U.S.): TNT, truTV
- Streaming (U.S.): HBOMax
USA TODAY Sports will track the gold-medal game live on Sunday, following every swing, surge and timeout as the final unfolds.
USA’s Road to the Final
- Sept. 4: USA 94, China 61
- Sept. 6: USA 55, Italy 52
- Sept. 7: USA 105, Czechia 64
- Sept. 10: USA 108, Hungary 56 (Quarterfinal)
- Sept. 12: USA 77, Spain 67 (Semifinal)
- Sept. 13: USA vs. France (Final)
Each step has reinforced the same message: if the Americans play to their level, they are almost impossible to catch.
Bronze on the Line Before the Gold
Before USA and France tip off, Berlin Arena will stage the third-place game, with Germany facing Spain at 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday (TNT, truTV). For the hosts, it’s a chance to close their tournament with a medal on home soil; for Spain, a shot at salvaging podium pride after running into the U.S. in the semifinal.
By the time the ball goes up for gold, the stage will be fully set.
One game, as Johannes said. Nothing to lose for France. Everything to protect for Team USA.
Does the dynasty stretch on, or does Berlin become the place where the script finally breaks?
