The game we have all been waiting for is upon us, as Team USA once again crosses paths with France in a final. While there is obvious pressure on head coach Kara Lawson’s side to defend their crown, FIBA itself recently cited a statistic that makes the final even higher-stakes.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Last time USA lost a game in the World Cup: 2006. Current winning streak: 35 games. History at stake today,” FIBA World Cup’s official handle posted on X.
To say the Americans have historically been dominant in the World Cup would be an understatement. Team USA has won 35 straight World Cup games and four consecutive titles, with 11 World Cup championships overall. This record stands above any other team in the history of the competition.
Since 1996, Team USA has won the gold medal in every World Cup and Olympics, except 2006, when they failed to beat Russia and had to settle for the bronze medal.
The closest Team USA has come to a loss since then was in the 2024 Paris Olympics final, also against France. Lawson’s side narrowly won 67-66, and France had a genuine chance of beating them if not for A’ja Wilson’s 21-point MVP masterclass. Unfortunately, Wilson pulled out just four days ahead of the tournament and is not in this year’s World Cup squad due to her ongoing back issues.
Golden State Valkyries’ star Gabby Williams gave Team USA much trouble with her 19 points and would have played spoiler for Team USA in the Olympics if not for her ‘three-point’ attempt. Upon review, it was deemed a two-pointer as she mistakenly stepped on the arc before shooting and couldn’t push the game to overtime.
But given how she has been performing in this World Cup, Williams will be out for revenge. She had 22 points and five rebounds on Saturday against host nation Germany in the semifinals.
While Team USA is still the favorite to be first on the podium, this time is much closer than ever before. Even FIBA’s game predictor lists France with better odds at 51.3% compared to the US’s 48.7%.
France has clearly been the more dominant side in this World Cup, with no real issues as they have overwhelmingly beaten their opponents every single time on the hardwood. Meanwhile, Team USA heavily struggled against Italy in the group stage and also had offensive issues in the semifinals against Spain.
So it is obvious that there are doubts regarding Team USA having a clear-cut victory over Les Bleus, and one such analyst’s take all the more confirms it.
“France is gonna beat Team USA in the FIBA World Cup due to coaching if proper changes aren’t made…Rotations are nonsensical. Veterans are given preferential treatment over more impactful young stars. Offense is stagnant & focused too much on iso/hero ball,” wrote Jon Root in an X post on September 12.
Three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker also joined the discussion, believing that after all the success Team USA has achieved, the whole world will rejoice if the Goliath eventually falls, and Lawson’s side should fuel this as further motivation to win.
“From the fan standpoint, they are with you. They’re cheering for USA. But if USA struggles a little bit, the entire world cannot wait for USA to fall. You also have to use that as motivation. Everybody wants to see USA stumble, and you take that as a chip on your shoulder,” Parker said on X per TNT Sports U.S.
With Team USA striving to defend their crown while also keeping their 35-game win streak alive against the most dominant French side in recent memory, it will be interesting to see which titan comes out on top to clinch the gold medal on Sunday.