Team USA proves ‘the standard’ again with 5th straight World Cup gold

Team USA proves 'the standard' again with 5th straight World Cup gold. Skip to main content Skip to navigation Golden again: How Team USA rallied to beat France and win the World CupNew York Liberty23hMichael Voepel and Alexa Philippou'Greatest winner' Stewart guides U.

What happened

France in '24 Olympic rematch2dAlexa PhilippouWilliams leads France past host Germany to reach World Cup finalGolden State Valkyries2dTeam USA takes Lawson's message to heart entering World Cup semis3dAlexa Philippou'Gonna let them do them': Cunningham ignoring Kanter Freedom, WhiteIndiana Fever3dKatie BarnesWho are the potential candidates to be the next WNBA commissioner? New York Liberty6dAlexa Philippou and Michael VoepelWNBA offseason 2026: Guides for every eliminated teamPortland Fire7dMichael Voepel, +3 MoreWNBA playoff schedule: League releases dates for 2026 postseasonAtlanta Dream5dESPNplayStewart after USA's FIBA World Cup title: 'Our goal is always gold' (0:58)Michael VoepelCloseMichael VoepelESPN Senior WriterMichael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women's college basketball and other college sports.

But here's how Team USA stayed on top of the world and denied France its first World Cup gold. While we already noted Team USA's only major competition loss in a gold medal game came in the 1983 World Cup to the Soviet Union, the Americans have one other silver medal. All that history is important to illustrate how outstanding Team USA has been in the Olympics and World Cup and to show what an upset it would have been had France taken the gold Sunday.

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S. tops Italy, pushes World Cup win streak to 328dReport: Skater Valieva has neutral status revoked9dplayStewart after USA's FIBA World Cup title: 'Our goal is always gold' (0:58)Alexa PhilippouSep 13, 2026, 03:58 PM ETMultiple AuthorsEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsBERLIN — For the first time in years, maybe decades, Team USA looked vulnerable entering and even during the 2026 women's basketball World Cup.

The wider picture

S. to fifth straight World Cup title1dAlexa PhilippouSpain beats Germany to win bronze at women's FIBA World Cup1dU. S. women's basketball team has not lost a game in major international play since 2006 and has lost only one gold medal game (in 1983). Team USA beat France 97-79 in Berlin to win its fifth consecutive World Cup title and 12th overall. S. assistant Natalie Nakase guides the WNBA's top defensive team, the Golden State Valkyries.

With Team USA coming home with gold and its winning streak in major international tournaments intact, it was as good of a debut as could realistically be expected. Team USA's last loss in a major international competition was in the 2006 World Cup semifinals to Russia. Before that, the most recent American losses were in the 1992 Olympic semifinals to what was then called the Unified Team (essentially the former Soviet Union with an interim name) and the 1994 World Cup semifinals to Brazil.

Philippou: And yet the tournament reminded us that winning is hard, even as USA Basketball often makes it look easy, and it's getting even more difficult as the quality of play and teams improves globally.

What has been reported

S. women's national team, made an interesting point in a pregame news conference: With more international players coming to the WNBA and getting plenty familiar with the Americans, the psychological factor of being intimidated by Team USA on a World Cup or Olympic stage won't be as prevalent. S. to fifth straight World Cup title1dAlexa PhilippouJefferson-Wooden clocks 21. The feeling was that maybe Team USA would miss out on gold at a major international tournament for the first time since 2006 and only the second time since 1994.

"Stewart further solidified her argument as arguably the winningest player in the sport's history, boasting four NCAA championships, three WNBA titles, three Olympic gold medals and now four World Cup golds, tying Sue Bird for the most of all time. The team was left with just three players — Stewart, Chelsea Gray and Kahleah Copper — who'd played in a World Cup before, a tournament many say is harder to win than the Olympics. It was the first double-digit deficit Team USA faced in a World Cup game since the 2006 semifinal, the program's last loss in the event.

This archetypal tech bro has a disturbing plan for world domination and the X Team are out to stop him – but there is a secret buried in Wolverine’s past that’s about to cause an eruption. Breanna Stewart scored 22 points, Jackie Young added 18, and the U. S. beat France 97-79 to win its fifth consecutive women's FIBA World Cup championship.

What happens next

Yet when the Americans faced a double-digit deficit in the first half of the FIBA Women's World Cup final Sunday, they couldn't just rely on history. That dominance decided the game and the gold medal. Coming in, France had been the more impressive team in the tournament, winning its five games by an average of 35. Team USA, by contrast, beat Italy in group play by three points and Spain in the semifinals by 10. Now the WNBA players from all the teams in this tournament head back to finish the regular season and get ready for the playoffs.

How did Team USA go from trailing by 14 points to winning by 18? The fact that they cut the deficit to two by halftime — a big steal by Angel Reese led to a 3-pointer by Clark before the buzzer — gave the team a boost.

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across espn.com, theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.