September 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\nStewart led Team USA with 16 points, while Kahleah Copper and Jackie Young added 13 and 12, respectively. Spain\u2019s Iyana Mart\u00edn, the No. 7 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft (Portland Fire, though she sat out this season to focus on the World Cup) and Maria Conde (Toronto Tempo) led all scorers with 17 points apiece.<\/p>\n
Stewart\u2019s late push got the U.S. where it expected to be, but the Americans could be considered underdogs heading into the finals \u2014 an almost inconceivable thought over the past several decades. Given the Americans\u2019 inconsistent play and how the French are putting together some of the best basketball they\u2019ve ever played, Sunday\u2019s finals could shake up a women\u2019s basketball world order that\u2019s been firmly established since the late \u201990s.<\/p>\n
France is averaging 96 points a game through the World Cup, scoring efficiently and sharing the ball well. It has numerous ballhandlers and is averaging 24 assists a game through a committee approach. The French have assisted on nearly 70 percent of their buckets, while averaging just 11 turnovers a game.<\/p>\n
France drew attention by sinking 22 3-pointers, a FIBA record, in its group stage win against Nigeria, but that wasn\u2019t an anomaly. Through five World Cup games, the French are shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc, hitting 15 triples a game. Six players are hitting 40 percent or better on 3s through the tournament.<\/p>\n
The French advanced to the finals with an 86-64 semifinals victory against Germany, making 10 3s on Saturday.<\/p>\n
In her postgame television interview, Stewart might\u2019ve outlined it best (and most succinctly): \u201cThey\u2019re a really tough team. They\u2019re shooting the s\u2014 out of the ball this tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defensively, France has been stout. It held each of its opponents under 70 points and has averaged 13 steals a game.<\/p>\n
The U.S., by contrast, has struggled to find a consistent offensive rhythm. Against Italy, the Americans hit just 1 of 12 3-pointers, and in their semifinal win against Spain, they shot 3 of 18 from beyond the arc. Only one player, Rhyne Howard (1.8), is averaging more than one 3-pointer per game. There also hasn\u2019t been a dominant force in the paint, making A\u2019ja Wilson\u2019s absence that much more notable.<\/p>\n
The recent history of this matchup \u2014 and its potential as a budding rivalry \u2014 is impossible to ignore as the French program has picked up steam in recent years, especially with more of the core roster playing in the WNBA. While Team USA might want to paint the World Cup finals as a rematch of the Olympic finals just two years ago, when the French nearly dethroned the Americans en route to their eighth consecutive gold, Sunday\u2019s matchup could be a measuring stick for both squads.<\/p>\n
But Stewart said she doesn\u2019t want that shadow of the past to cloud their focus.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe won that game. That game is over,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is a completely new game. Everybody has their own things that continue to motivate them, but I think that what I\u2019ll continue to be preaching to this team is, we\u2019re going to continue to turn the page on everything. This is one game to win the gold medal in the World Cup in Berlin, and that\u2019s our entire focus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Against Spain, the play of one key player in one final quarter was enough to push the U.S. over the edge. Survive and advance. Against France, there\u2019s no advancing. It\u2019s just one game \u2014 gold or bust.<\/p>\n
For the first time in recent memory, anything less than a complete game and its best performance of the last two weeks could spell the latter for Team USA.<\/p>\n