Angel Reese memes, Marine Johannes' frustration among France vs. USA winners, losers - USA Today

Once more, Team USA is golden in women's basketball.

Despite trailing by 14 points in the first half, the Americans rallied for a comfortable victory over France, 97-79, in the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup gold-medal game on Sunday, Sept. 13, in Berlin, Germany. It was Team USA's fifth consecutive World Cup win.

Breanna Stewart led the way for Team USA and was named MVP after tallying 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the victory. She tied Sue Bird as the only player in Team USA history to own four World Cup gold medals.

"Four World Cups? That’s tied for the most ever," Team USA coach Kara Lawson said. "She is USA Basketball. When you think of the last 15 years, it’s Stewie. We’re just really lucky to be a part of her era."

Jackie Young added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists for Team USA, while Kahleah Copper scored 15 points, and Chelsea Gray and Caitlin Clark each had 12 points apiece.

It was the first time France reached the gold medal game, but it couldn't stop the United States from winning its fifth consecutive World Cup crown. France was paced by WNBA stars Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga, who combined for 41 points.

The “Young and Turnt” crew may be the future of the U.S. women’s national team, but the team’s experienced core of veterans proved they are the present. 

As the Americans fell into a 14-point deficit in the first half — their largest of the tournament — the quartet of Breanna Stewart, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kahleah Copper put USA on their back. Stewart (20 points, 10 rebounds), Young (18 points), Gray (12 points) and Copper (15 points) combined for 65 points. All four USA veterans played at least 27 minutes in Sunday's gold-medal match.

Team USA featured a mix of veterans and rising young stars, but it was the experienced group that steadied the ship, flipped the momentum and guided the Americans to their fifth consecutive gold medal. 

Paige Bueckers was limited to les than three minutes in the win. Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen played less than two minutes each. They're up next, but the likes of Stewart, Young, Gray and Copper proved their time is now.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Breanna Stewart won her fourth World Cup gold medal, tying Sue Bird for the most in World Cup history. That’s not the only hardware she picked up. Stewart was named the 2026 FIBA World Cup MVP, becoming the first player to win the award twice.

"I've been fortunate to play with a lot of amazing players and this group was really special," Stewart said. "The way that we were tested on and off the court and we continued to thrive through it, really proud of them and excited to get this gold and bring it home."

Stewart played a team-high 30 minutes and became the first USA player to record a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double in a World Cup final. Across the tournament, Stewart averaged 12.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

Jackie Young is the only USA player to score double-digits in every World Cup game in Berlin and her best performance came when it mattered most. Young finished with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists in the gold-medal game, shooting 7-of-14 from the field and 4-of-7 from the 3-point line. 

Young was named player of the game. 

“Not really focused on the individual accolades. I'm just trying to do whatever I can to help my team win,” Young said after the win. “And today it was just being aggressive. They're really physical with us, and so I just try to get to my spots and I hit a few shots early.”

Young became the first player in Women’s World Cup history to have 15 or more points, five or more rebounds and five or more assists in a final.

With Team USA’s fifth consecutive World Cup medal, Young becomes the first player to win a high school state championship, NCAA title, WNBA title, Olympic 5x5 gold, 3x3 gold and World Cup gold. To put it frankly, she’s a winner. 

In case you're unaware, Angel Reese is on a generational run with memes. She's been (unintentionally) responsible for some delightful WNBA moments, and she carried that over to the global stage. Reese was absolutely pumped as the U.S. rolled over France, building a lead as high as 27 points. Please look at the gritty face she made when the U.S. came out in the third quarter with some fire. It's magnificent.

She then followed it up with a lovely cheering moment for her USA teammates as she was on the bench.

With an Olympics on the Americans’ home soil looming, the pressure was on Kara Lawson and Sue Bird entering this tournament. Bird needed to assemble the roster and Lawson coach it to the gold. That pressure was only amped up when A’ja Wilson pulled out of the tournament due to an injury.

Ultimately, Bird and Lawson got the job done. Bird shaped a roster that featured seven players making their major tournament debut for the senior national team and Lawson found a winning formula by leaning on the veterans in key moments, then putting youngsters in situations where they could succeed.

If Team USA had lost this tournament, the next two years heading into the L.A. Olympics would have been full of questions about if they were the right people were leading this storied program. For now, the doubters have been silenced.

France's loss likely feels more devastating because of their history with Team USA and just how effective they were to start the game.

Les Bleues lost to the U.S. in the 2024 Paris Olympics by one point after Gabby Williams made a long field goal at the buzzer that was ruled a 2-pointer instead of a 3 because her toe was on the line. In light of that defeat and it being France’s first appearance in the women’s World Cup gold-medal game, there was an understanding the contest would be emotional.

"If I'm honest, we have nothing to lose. We actually know they're a great team. They won every World Cup for years and years,” France’s Marine Johannes said entering the matchup. “They are really talented. We all know that. We are playing with these players all season in the W, we know how good they are.

"It's one game. Nothing to lose. We are going to play hard, and we'll see what happens.”

France certainly played hard to start, pulling ahead 28-17 two minutes into the second quarter after an 8-0 run to open the frame.

Even though Team USA trailed by as a many as 14, France succumbed to a revived defensive effort and fizzled out.

Gabby Williams seemed like a player determined for revenge all tournament, and that continued in the first half of the gold medal game as she shot 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range for 16 points before the break. But she was contained when France needed her most, going scoreless in the third quarter as she finished with 20 points.

An end like that, combined with her experience in the final seconds of France’s Olympic loss in 2024, has to sting – but Williams took the defeat like a champion.

“Maybe in a few days it'll feel better. Of course, we're disappointed right now, but I think we're showing little by little France as a basketball country," Williams said. "That was my goal when I joined this team is to change the culture. Obviously we have higher expectations, but we'll get there."

Although France already had a ship on their shoulder and plenty of young talent, Williams noted the future is bright for the national team.

“We have a lot to be proud of, but I think we're going to remember how this feels and just use this for motivation,” Williams said.

Marine Johannes said France had “nothing to lose” heading into the gold-medal match against USA. She said she would play hard and see what happens. Johannes might wants a do over as she finished with five points in 23 minutes, shooting 1-of-6 from the 3-point line. Johannes led the entire tournament with 19 made 3-pointers entering Sunday, but she was held to just one in the gold-medal game. Frustrations appeared to boil over in the third quarter when Johannes was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after smacking Kahleah Copper in the face. Oof. 

Any WNBA player who competed in the World Cup has to return to the league. The 2026 WNBA season resumes on Thursday, Sept. 17, which means anyone who participated in the tournament has just a few days to return to the United States and suit up for the rest of the WNBA season.The WNBA's slate of late-season games begins with a Sun-Dream, Mystics-Sky and Sparks-Wings early on Sept. 17. The night finishes with a double-header featuring Mercury-Fire and Storm-Aces.

Friday, Sept. 18 also has three matchups, including the Indiana Fever against Toronto Tempo, New York Liberty vs. Minnesota Lynx and Portland Fire vs. Golden State Valkyries.

The final was what everyone expected: the Americans matching up with France. And the result was what oddsmakers in Las Vegas overwhelmingly predicted: Team USA winning its fifth consecutive World Cup.

While there is evidence that women’s basketball talent and depth is growing across the globe, Team USA still dominates in these major tournaments. Spain threatened on Saturday before the Americans pulled away in the second half, and France had a double-digit lead in the first half on Sunday before crumbling in the third quarter.

Any fans who were rooting for chaos or an upset — or perhaps even wagered money on anyone but Team USA winning — were left disappointed at the end of this World Cup.