The U.S. faces France in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup final on Sunday in a rematch of the 2024 Olympic final won by the Americans by one point.
The U.S. pulled away from Spain 76-66 in Saturday’s semifinals in Berlin, hours after France dispatched Germany 86-64 at the biggest tournament between now and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“You know this is going to be challenging, and obviously we’ve got the biggest one tomorrow,” Breanna Stewart, who led the U.S. with 16 points and six rebounds against Spain, said on the TBS broadcast. “But that’s why we’re here. We’re going for gold, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
The U.S. has won 35 consecutive World Cup games dating to 2006, winning the last four titles, and is on a 71-game win streak between World Cup and Olympic play.
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France nearly ended that two years ago as the U.S. won the Paris Games final 67-66, avoiding a loss at the Olympics for the first time since 1992.
At this World Cup, France outscored its first five opponents by an average of 35.6 points per game.
The U.S.’ average margin of victory is 27.8 points, a number brought down by group-stage foe Italy, which lost by just three points.
“It’s time for the gold-medal game,” national team newcomer Angel Reese said. “I came here for something, and I’m not leaving without it.”
Spain also tested the U.S. The semifinal was tied after three quarters, but Spain scored just eight in the final frame.
“We were a little out of rhythm,” U.S. head coach Kara Lawson said of her team, noting they went 3-for-18 on three-pointers. “Certainly they had something to do with that. I think we had something to do with that as well. ... We found the momentum at the right time.”
France has the second-most WNBA players of any team at the World Cup — eight, highlighted by captain Gabby Williams, an All-Star for the Golden State Valkyries.
The U.S. is without the world’s best player, WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, who withdrew from the roster the week of the start of the tournament for health reasons.
