![Five in a Row. USA Wins 12th World Cup in Berlin.](https://cdn.slatesource.com/0/4/3/043138a2-18cc-4a9d-86dc-2bb902fdc35c.webp) # Five in a Row. USA Wins 12th World Cup in Berlin. - [Made in Slatesource](https://slatesource.com/@steph/five-in-a-row-usa-wins-12th-world-cup-in-berlin) - By [Steph](https://slatesource.com/@steph) - Created on Sep 18, 2026 ## Down 14. Then Stewart Took Over. The United States trailed France by 14 points at half-time in the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup final in Berlin on September 13. They won 97-79. The key move was simple to describe and almost impossible to stop: Breanna Stewart, the New York Liberty forward, posted 22 points and 10 rebounds and outscored France almost single-handedly in the third quarter, when USA went from seven down to sixteen up. It was her fourth World Cup gold medal, joining Sue Bird as the only players in history to win four. It was also the fifth consecutive title for Team USA and their 12th overall, a run that stretches back to 2006. They have not lost a game at the Women's World Cup in 20 years. [FIBA: USA continue dominance with 12th Women's Basketball World Cup title](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/usa-continue-dominance-with-12th-fiba-womens-basketball-world-cup-title?utm_source=slatesource) USA winning streak at Women's World Cup 36 games (since 2006) Consecutive Women's World Cup titles for USA 5 (2014, 2018, 2022, 2024, 2026) USA total Women's World Cup titles 12 of 21 editions Final score, Berlin 2026 USA 97, France 79 Stewart tournament averages 12.8 pts, 7.3 reb, 2.8 ast per game Half-time deficit USA erased in the final 14 points Total attendance at 36 games in Berlin 236,015 (new tournament record) ## The First Two-Time MVP in Tournament History Breanna Stewart has now won the TISSOT MVP award twice, eight years apart. She won it first in Tenerife in 2018. In Berlin she was named MVP again after averaging the highest performance efficiency valuation in the tournament. US head coach Kara Lawson was direct about what that means: "She is USA Basketball. When you think of the last 15 years, it's Stewie." Lawson added that this team leaned on Stewart more than most, given how many new players were in the squad, including Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier making their senior World Cup debuts. Stewart guided the younger players through the bracket, then delivered in the final when it mattered most. The previous attendance record for the Women's World Cup was 145,519 in Sydney in 2022. Berlin surpassed that by 90,000 fans despite the same number of games. [FIBA: Breanna Stewart makes history as two-time Women's World Cup TISSOT MVP](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/fiba-womens-basketball-world-cup-2026/news/breanna-stewart-makes-history-as-two-time-womens-world-cup-tissot-mvp?utm_source=slatesource) > I pride myself on being consistent. That's showing up when it's the big moments and the small moments and all the moments in between. ## France's First Final and the Generation Behind Them Playing in their first-ever Women's World Cup final, France were not simply there to make up the numbers. They led at half-time and were driven throughout the tournament by Gabby Williams, who was named to the All-Star Five alongside Stewart, Jackie Young, Spain's Iyana Martin, and host nation Germany's Leonie Fiebich. Williams and France's run ended the same way: outclassed in the third quarter by a team that has now made this tournament its own for two decades. For Germany, which finished fourth on home soil, it was still their best ever result at the competition. Spain beat them 81-58 in the third-place game, with Iyana Martin scoring 22 points. ## Caitlin Clark and the Debut Record Caitlin Clark made her senior national team debut at this tournament, and her opening game set a record: 14 points and 11 assists against China, the most assists by any USA player in a Women's World Cup debut. She became only the eighth player in the competition's recorded history to reach double figures in assists in a single game, and the first to do so without a single turnover. Her tournament averaged 7.0 assists against just 1.8 turnovers per game. She also had a difficult second game against Italy where she shot 0-for-6. The full picture, though, was of a player confirming at the international level what she has already shown in the WNBA. USA's streak since 2006 means the winning streak was already 20 games long before Clark played her first World Cup minute. When she spoke at the ceremony in Berlin, her final line pointed at the next major target: the LA 2028 Olympics. Stewart, asked directly, said only "See you in LA." [Bleacher Report: Caitlin Clark's World Cup debut record and tournament stats](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25496982-caitlin-clarks-updated-box-score-stats-fiba-world-cup-after-making-history-rare-feat?utm_source=slatesource)