USA Defeats France to Extend Dominance at Women’s World Cup
The crown slipped. It never fell.
Down early, rattled by a fearless France and the memory of a shaky tournament, the United States still did what this dynasty always seems to do when the stakes are highest: they tightened their grip.
From 14 points behind to an 18-point win, the defending champions roared back to beat France 97-79 on Sunday, claiming a fifth straight Women’s World Cup title and stretching an unbeaten run at World Cups and Olympics that now spans 20 years.
A giant looks vulnerable – briefly
This was no procession. Not this time.
The Americans arrived in the final with questions hanging over them, after close calls against Italy in the group stage and Spain in a tense semi-final. France, by contrast, had bulldozed their way to a first-ever World Cup final, no opponent getting within 20 points.
They carried that swagger into the game.
USA captain Breanna Stewart opened with authority, dropping 22 points overall and helping her side build an early five-point cushion. It looked familiar: the favourites on the front foot, the script already written.
France tore it up.
Gabby Williams lit the fuse, the French found their range from deep, and suddenly the Americans were reeling. A 21-2 blitz flipped the game on its head, the underdogs racing into a 14-point lead early in the second quarter. Every French three-pointer landed like a statement. Every American miss fed the belief in blue.
The champions were in trouble.
Clark’s buzzer-beater turns the tide
The response was gradual, almost stubborn. The USA stopped chasing the game and started chipping away at it. Stops on defence, cleaner possessions, better spacing. The gap shrank.
Just before half-time, with the French still buzzing and the arena sensing an upset, Caitlin Clark stepped into the moment. Her three-pointer on the buzzer cut the deficit to just two and changed the temperature of the night.
France went into the break ahead on the scoreboard. The momentum, though, had begun to drift.
They had wanted revenge for that one-point heartbreak in the Paris Olympic final. Instead, as the third quarter unfolded, they watched the same nightmare return in a different form.
Third-quarter avalanche
The third period was where the United States reminded everyone why they have ruled this sport for a generation.
They turned the screws defensively, swarming the ball, closing driving lanes, and contesting everything on the perimeter. France, so fluid and fearless in the first half, suddenly looked rushed. Shots that had fallen now rattled out. Passes went astray.
At the other end, the Americans hit top gear.
Kahleah Copper and Jackie Young drilled back-to-back triples to push the USA out to a 58-51 lead. From there, they did not offer France a way back. That quarter finished 30-12 in favour of the United States, a brutal swing that ripped the game from France’s grasp.
By the start of the fourth, Clark struck again from deep, stretching the lead to 19. The contest, in truth, was over.
France, who had flown into their maiden World Cup final without ever being pushed, now found themselves locked out by a relentless American defence. They could not unlock it. They could not slow it down. Their best-ever World Cup finish would be silver, but it came with the sting of knowing they had once led the champions by 14.
Spain respond with bronze
Earlier in the day, Spain steadied themselves after their own close encounter with the USA and left the tournament with something tangible to show for their efforts.
Less than 24 hours after pushing the Americans to the brink in the semi-final – level at 58-58 three-quarters of the way through before the holders finally pulled away – Spain dismantled hosts Germany 81-58 to claim bronze.
This time there was no late drama. Spain controlled the game from the outset against a spirited but limited German side, who had never before reached the last four of the competition as a unified nation.
Iyana Martin led the way, pouring in 20 points and finishing just one assist shy of a double-double, her nine dimes a game-high. Her composure and creativity ensured Spain’s disappointment from Saturday did not spill into Sunday.
Two decades of dominance
France will remember the lead that got away. Spain will remember how close they came to toppling the giants.
The story of the tournament, though, remains the same: the USA are still the standard. Still unbeaten on the biggest stages since 2006. Still collecting World Cup titles in sequence. Still finding answers, even on nights when they look human.
The rest of the world is closing the gap. The scoreboard, in the end, said otherwise.
