Team USA wins 5th straight FIBA World Cup
The USA Basketball Women’s National Team defeated France 97 to 79 on September 13, 2026, in Berlin, Germany, to win the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup for the 5th consecutive time. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese both played key roles off the bench.
The victory gave the roster its 12th World Cup gold medal overall and matched the Soviet Union’s record of 5 straight titles from 1959 to 1975. Team USA has now won 36 straight World Cup games, according to CBS Sports.
Caitlin Clark hits buzzer-beating 3 before half
Caitlin Clark caught a pass from Jackie Young beyond the arc with 3 seconds left in the 2nd quarter and drained a 3-pointer to cut France’s lead to 45–43 at halftime in Berlin.
Team USA had trailed by as many as 14 points earlier in the 2nd quarter against a French squad that entered the final undefeated. Head coach Kara Lawson later credited Clark’s shot as a momentum-changing play heading into halftime.
Angel Reese’s bench reaction goes viral
Angel Reese jumped up from her seat and stepped past the bench area to celebrate the instant Clark’s 3-pointer went in. USA Basketball’s Instagram account later shared a slow-motion clip of the moment that drew millions of views.
The celebration spread quickly online because it ran against a rivalry narrative that has followed Clark and Reese since their college days. Fans and analysts pointed to the reaction as proof of genuine chemistry between the 2 Team USA teammates.
Team USA erases 14 point deficit in comeback
Team USA trailed France 45 to 43 at halftime after the French built a 14-point lead earlier in the 2nd quarter behind Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga. France had entered the final winning its 5 prior games by an average of 35.6 points.
The Americans outscored France 30 to 12 in the 3rd quarter to seize control of the game for good. Team USA never trailed again after the run, closing out the 97 to 79 win in front of fans in Berlin.
Breanna Stewart named tournament MVP again
Breanna Stewart finished the final with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists on 7 of 10 shooting from the field. FIBA named her tournament MVP for the 2nd time in her career after the 97 to 79 win over France.
Stewart averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game across the tournament while shooting 55.3% from the field. Her free throws in the final also moved her past Cheryl Miller into 5th on the US career World Cup scoring list with 268 points.
Caitlin Clark’s efficient line off the bench
Caitlin Clark scored 12 points in 13 minutes of play, shooting 4 of 5 from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range in the gold medal game. She added 1 rebound and 3 assists and went 2 of 2 from the free-throw line.
Clark led Team USA in assists across the tournament at 5.3 per game despite limited minutes under coach Kara Lawson. She finished the World Cup averaging 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray power the rally
Jackie Young scored 18 points on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, adding 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and was named player of the game. FIBA recognized Young as the final’s Player of the Game.
Chelsea Gray contributed 12 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds as Team USA rallied from its 14-point deficit. Gabby Williams led France with 20 points and scored 4 after halftime.
Angel Reese debuts for Team USA at FIBA Worlds
Angel Reese made her senior FIBA World Cup debut in Berlin, wearing the No. 15 jersey for her first major tournament with USA Basketball. She posted 8 rebounds and 4 points in an earlier 84 to 70 win over Spain during qualifying play.
During the quarterfinal win over Hungary, Clark assisted Reese on her first three field goals as Team USA won 108 to 56. Reese told TNT’s Allie LaForce afterward that she and Clark keep building chemistry as new national team teammates.
Fun fact: Spain defeated host Germany 81-58 to win the bronze medal at the women’s FIBA World Cup in Berlin on September 13, 2026.
Clark and Reese’s rivalry began in college
The narrative between Clark and Reese traces back to April 2, 2023, when Reese’s LSU Tigers beat Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes 102 to 85 in the NCAA championship game in Dallas. Reese finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds in that contest.
Clark scored 30 points in the loss, and the broadcast drew nearly 9.9 million viewers, the most-watched women’s college game on record at the time. The 2 players met again in the 2024 Elite 8, with Clark’s Hawkeyes winning that rematch.
Both stars entered the WNBA in the 2024 draft
The Indiana Fever selected Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft after her record-breaking career at Iowa. The Chicago Sky chose Angel Reese No. 7 overall in the same draft class out of LSU.
Reese averaged 14.1 points and 12.9 rebounds per game across 2 seasons in Chicago and led the WNBA in rebounding both years. She earned All-Star honors in each of her first 2 professional seasons with the Sky.
Caitlin Clark defends Reese bond after gold
A reporter asked Clark after the gold medal game whether she and Reese were friends now that they were teammates on Team USA. Clark pushed back on the premise of the question during her postgame media session in Berlin.
“We’ve always been friends, don’t try to do that,” Clark told reporters, according to Yahoo Sports. She added that the tournament marked her first experience playing on a major international roster alongside many of her Team USA teammates.
Angel Reese traded to Atlanta Dream in 2026
The Chicago Sky traded Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream on April 6, 2026, in exchange for first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028. Atlanta also received the right to swap second-round picks with Chicago in 2028.
Dream general manager Dan Padover called Reese “a dynamic talent” and “a perfect fit for what we are building in Atlanta.” The move sent Reese to a team coming off a historic 2025 season in which Atlanta won a franchise-record 30 games and returned to the WNBA playoffs.
Fans have been closely watching Reese’s choices during her Team USA run. Check out how Angel Reese’s Reebok choice sparks a Team USA backlash, explaining why the decision has drawn so much attention.
Team USA win streak reaches 72 games
Team USA has now won 72 consecutive games across the Olympics and FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, a streak that began after the Americans lost to Russia in the 2006 World Cup semifinals. The U.S. has won every Olympic and World Cup tournament since 2006, continuing its international gold-medal run in Berlin.
Clark and Reese were among the newcomers who helped the U.S. win its fifth consecutive World Cup title. Both players are under consideration for future USA Basketball teams as the program looks ahead to the 2028 Olympic cycle.
Clark and Reese have continued to fuel conversation around their evolving WNBA rivalry. Explore how Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese just changed the rivalry conversation.
This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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