Can anyone stop the American dynasty in women's basketball?

When the American women defeated France 97-79 in Berlin on 13 September, they won their fifth consecutive world title and equalled the streak of the Soviet Union from 1959 to 1975, the longest to date in the history of the championship. With 12 titles in total, the USA remains by far the most successful team at World Cups, and its last defeat in a final came in 1983.

However, the final was not a formality. France, which reached a final of a World Cup for the first time, went ahead by 14 points in the second quarter, which was the first double-digit deficit for the American team at a World Cup since 2006. The gap was cut to two points already by half-time, and in the third quarter, which they won 30-12, the American women practically decided the game. Such a turnaround is not accidental, even though the fifth title was won by a team in which seven of the twelve players were playing at a World Cup for the first time. The experience was provided by the veterans Breanna Stewart, Chelsea Gray and Kahleah Copper, the only ones with previous appearances at a World Cup.

Stewart, named Most Valuable Player of the tournament for the second time, had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the final. With her fourth world gold she equalled the record of Sue Bird, and in her career she has four college titles, three titles in the WNBA and three Olympic gold medals as well. Her example illustrates the essence of the American advantage: a system in which talents mature in college basketball, and then in the professional league. No other country has such a broad pool of top players, which is why even a rejuvenated American team remains the favourite.

Yet the rest of the world is not standing still. France, which lost the final to the USA by just one point at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, this time reached its first World Cup final. Spain, winner of the bronze medal, relied on the young Awa Fam and Iyana Martín, whom FIBA described as stars on the rise. The hosts Germany reached the semi-finals, where they lost to France, and then also lost the game for bronze to Spain. The top scorer of the championship was the Belgian Emma Meesseman, with an average of 21 points per game.

The organisers too can be satisfied: the 36 games in the two Berlin arenas were watched by a total of 234,004 spectators, that is on average about 6,500 per game. Germany hosted the championship for the second time, after 1998. The high attendance is an important message at a time when women's sport is seeking more space in the media and with sponsors.

Is there then anyone who can break the American streak? The next big test will be the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, where the American women will play in front of a home crowd. History nevertheless shows that no streak lasts for ever, and the Soviet one also ended, after five titles. But as long as the American system produces new stars, the rest of the world will have to wait for its chance.