A 30-game win streak for US on the
line at the FIBA women's World Cup with France and others waiting
[September 04, 2026]
By DOUG FEINBERG
BERLIN (AP) — The FIBA women's World Cup begins Friday with the U.S.
in search of a fifth consecutive championship.
The Americans have won 30 straight games in the tournament, dating
to a loss to Russia in the 2006 semifinals. They'll have a young
group of players trying to extend that run led by Caitlin Clark,
Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, who are making their debuts in the
event.
It's not all youth for the U.S. as gold medal collector Breanna
Stewart, who has already won three Olympic and three World Cup
championships leads the squad.
Who could challenge the Americans
France will be the main competitor for the Americans, having lost by
only one point in the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal game. The
French team is hungry to avenge that loss. Other teams that could be
a threat to end the U.S. streak include Spain, Belgium and China.
The Chinese team lost to the Americans in the 2022 World Cup final.
How the tournament works
The 16 teams were put into four groups and each will have a
round-robin stage. The second- and third-place teams in each group
will advance to a qualification round while the winner of the pool
will advance to the quarterfinals. The four winners of the
qualification rounds will then advance to the quarterfinals as well.
In the 2022 World Cup there were only 12 teams and two pools. Teams
had to play five games in six days before advancing to the
quarterfinals. FIBA will be using two sites in Berlin to play the 36
games.
Where to watch the games
TNT will show all 36 games across TNT, truTV, and HBO Max as part of
its multiyear rights deal with FIBA. The tournament runs from Sept.
4-13. The network hired Tina Charles and Renee Montgomery to be
analysts during their studio coverage.
Charles helped the U.S. win three World Cups from 2010-18.
“There’s definitely going to be, challenges. you know, gold is
earned. It’s not assumed,” she said in an interview with the AP.
“When you put USA across your chest, there’s an expectation that
you’re supposed to win, regardless of what your experience has been
internationally. But I think people just don’t really understand how
difficult that is.”
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Chelsea Gray (8) of United States attends a training session ahead
of the match between China and United States during the Women's
Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026.
(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Charles knows that everyone wants to be the team to
beat the U.S., which has won four straight World Cup championships.
“You’re playing the best players from around the world. You’re
adjusting to different styles, you’re adjusting to the physicality
of the game and how the referees will call these games and everybody
wants to be the team that beats you. You have that bullseye on your
back.”
FIBA ramping up its commitment to women's World Cup
FIBA has put more resources into this women's World Cup, looking to
improve the player experience. Every player on every team will have
their own hotel room for the first time. Some teams already had
provided players with individual rooms. There is a dedicated
weightlifting area and a private lounge that offers relaxation areas
for teams.
FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis told The Associated Press in
an interview that providing these resources were important to the
organization.
“We’re providing the same conditions as in the men’s World Cup,” he
said. “We are providing also for the first time financial assistance
to our members to prepare their teams.”
Why is there a break in the WNBA schedule?
With more than 50 WNBA players competing in the World Cup, the
league is paused from Aug. 31-Sept. 16. This is the first time that
the tournament is taking place during the WNBA season as usually
it’s been after the Finals. The World Cup will move to a late
November time slot in 2030 when Japan hosts it.
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