The United States women's basketball team fell behind early, then stormed back past France 97-79 on Sunday, 13 September 2026, to win the FIBA Women's World Cup final in Berlin. It is a fifth consecutive World Cup title for the Americans and their 12th overall, and it stretches their unbeaten run at the Olympics and World Cups to 20 years. Captain Breanna Stewart top-scored with 22 points and was named tournament MVP. Caitlin Clark added 12 points, including a three-pointer at the second-quarter buzzer that cut France's halftime lead to two and flipped the momentum of a final the Americans had trailed by 14 points. France, who had not allowed any opponent within 20 points on their way to a maiden final, started strongly in a rematch of the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medal game. Led by Gabby Williams, they went on a 21-2 rampage early in the second quarter to open that 14-point advantage, and they were seeking revenge for their one-point loss to the USA at the Paris Olympics. The Americans, who had survived scares against Italy and Spain earlier in the tournament, had not lost a World Cup match since 2006. They preserved that record the hard way on Sunday. ## Third-Quarter Surge Decides It The champions turned the game in the third quarter, outscoring France 30-12. Consecutive three-pointers from Kahleah Copper and Jackie Young pushed the USA into a 58-51 lead they never surrendered, and another Clark triple stretched the margin to 19 points early in the fourth quarter as the French lost their composure against a hard-working American defence. France settled for silver, the best World Cup finish in the country's history. Earlier on Sunday, Spain claimed bronze with an 81-58 win over hosts Germany, with Iyana Martin scoring 20 points and adding a game-best nine assists. ## Record Audience and League Ripples Broadcaster TNT said about 1.2 million viewers watched the final in the United States, a milestone audience for the women's game. The tournament's close lands at a turbulent moment for the WNBA: commissioner Cathy Engelbert is retiring at the end of the year, and Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said NBA commissioner Adam Silver had reached out to her about the search for a successor. "I have talked to Adam Silver a couple times, and I think he's a great guy," Cunningham said on Monday. "He was very knowledgeable and full of wisdom and so getting to talk to him and hear his perspective of how he approaches the NBA is huge, who he's kind of looking for." Cunningham said she wants the next commissioner to unite a league that has grown rapidly in recent years. "I think he's going to put someone in place who really wants to take our league to another level than it's already at," she said. "Our league is booming, so why would we not [want] someone who's going to make it even more booming?" Engelbert's seven-year tenure included a richer television contract, a new collective bargaining agreement and charter flights for teams. Meanwhile, Clark, Fever teammate Aliyah Boston and coach Stephanie White rejoin Indiana after gold-medal duty in Berlin, with the Fever resuming their season on Friday at Toronto.