USA Advances to Fiba Women’s Basketball World Cup Final After Tough Battle with Spain
The United States are back in a familiar place – one win from another world title – but Spain made them work every inch of the way in Berlin.
For three quarters, the four-time defending champions were dragged into a street fight. The shots weren’t falling, the rhythm never quite clicked, and Spain refused to back down. Then the fourth quarter arrived, and the Americans did what serial winners do: they tightened the screws and walked away, 76-66 victors, into a fifth consecutive Fiba Women’s Basketball World Cup final.
Spain swing first, USA stagger
Spain came out fearless. They weren’t overawed by the jerseys, the history, or the streak. They jumped to a 13-4 lead midway through the first quarter, carving up the US defense with confident ball movement and timely shooting.
The Americans looked flat early, misfiring from outside and struggling to impose their usual physical dominance. By halftime, they had steadied but not solved the problem. The US edged in front, 39-36, yet there was no sense this was under control.
Spain’s belief only grew after the break. María Conde and Iyana Martín drilled three-pointers early in the third quarter, wiping out the deficit and jolting the arena to life. Every US mistake felt heavy; every Spanish make felt like a statement.
When Martín stepped to the line with 53 seconds left in the third and calmly sank two free throws, the scoreboard read 58-58. The champions were on the ropes, their three-point shooting stuck in neutral, the contest suddenly wide open.
Stewart, Copper and Young slam the door
Then the tone changed.
Kahleah Copper and Jackie Young opened the fourth quarter with scores that immediately put Spain on the back foot. The tempo lifted, the defense bit harder, and the US finally began to look like themselves.
Breanna Stewart, quiet only by her own high standards through three quarters, started to separate the sides. Her 16 points didn’t come in a flurry, but in the kind of timely blows that tilt knockout games: a jumper to halt a Spanish surge, a finish inside to stretch the margin, a steadying presence when the ball needed a grown-up.
The lead crept to eight with just over six minutes remaining as the US defense clamped down. Spain, so fluid earlier, suddenly had to grind for every look. The pressure that had been building all night finally told.
The defining moment came late. With the clock running down and Spain still searching for a lifeline, Young jumped a passing lane, raced away, and finished a layup to make it 76-64 with 1:42 left. It was both a dagger and a release of tension – the play that said, unmistakably, this semi-final was over.
Young finished with 12 points, Copper with 13, their aggression and energy vital on a night when the US perimeter shooting deserted them.
Spain’s stand, USA’s streak
Spain walk away beaten but anything but timid. Conde and Martín poured in 17 points apiece, leading an effort that held the Americans to 40% shooting from the field. They chased, contested, and refused to let the US run away in transition for long stretches.
They also exposed the one glaring flaw in the American performance. The US went just 3-for-18 from beyond the arc, never finding a consistent touch from deep. Caitlin Clark, the most talked-about shooter in the tournament, endured a rough night: one point, 0-for-3 from three-point range.
And yet, even with the perimeter misfiring, the machine rolled on.
The win pushes the USA’s World Cup streak to 35 consecutive victories. They have not lost in this tournament since a semi-final defeat to Russia in 2006 – a different era, a different generation, the same relentless standard.
Next comes France in Sunday’s final, after the French brushed aside host nation Germany 86-64. Another European challenger. Another chance to test the dynasty.
Spain asked real questions in Berlin. France will ask more.
The only one that matters now: can anyone stop this US team from turning dominance into yet another gold medal?
