Team USA holds off Spain, advances to Women’s World Cup final against France: Takeaways from a tight semifinal

After a competitive semifinal contest in Berlin, Team USA pulled away from Spain in the fourth quarter to secure a 76-66 victory and a trip to the final of the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup. Team USA will face France, which knocked off the hosts Germany, in a rematch of the gold medal game from the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Tip-off for Sunday's final is set for 2 p.m. ET. Team USA will play for a fifth consecutive World Cup gold medal, which would tie the Soviet Union's record of five straight championships from 1959-75.

Spain jumped out to an early 9-1 lead, but Team USA slowly fought back from the biggest deficit it had faced all tournament and took the lead at the end of the first quarter thanks in large part to the energy and pace provided by the "Young and Turnt" group of Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese and Aliyah Boston.

Team USA would never trail again, though it took a substantial amount of work to put away Spain, which did manage to briefly tie the game late in the third quarter. Iyana Martín, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, who did…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/