FIBA Women’s World Cup: France, Germany, USA and Spain Battle for Final Spots

The 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup reaches its decisive stage today, Saturday, September 12, with France, Germany, the United States and Spain competing for places in Sunday’s championship game in Berlin. According to FIBA, the semifinals will be played at the Berlin Arena, with the winners advancing to the World Cup final on September 13. 🇫🇷 France vs Germany 🇩🇪 France faces hosts Germany at 4:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. Nigerian time). France reached the last four after a convincing 90–61 quarter-final victory over China. The result sends France into the World Cup semifinals for the first time since 1953 and allows the team to reach its first-ever World Cup final. Germany are also making history. The hosts defeated reigning European champions Belgium 93–74 in the quarter-finals to reach their first-ever Women's World Cup semifinal. A huge home crowd in Berlin will now see whether Germany can continue its remarkable run. 🇺🇸 USA vs Spain 🇪🇸 The second semifinal begins at 8:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. Nigerian time). Four-time defending champions United States face Spain in a highly anticipated rematch of past major tournament encounters. The USA stormed into the semifinals after crushing Hungary 108–56, while Spain defeated Australia 89–66. The Americans have dominated their historical meetings with Spain, winning all 11 recorded head-to-head encounters listed by FIBA. However, Spain enters the semifinal with a confident young generation determined to challenge the American dominance. The two semifinal winners will meet in the gold-medal game on Sunday, September 13, while the losing teams will play for bronze. Why this is a major global sports story The semifinals combine American dominance, European basketball's rise and historic breakthroughs. France are chasing their first World Cup final, Germany are playing their first semifinal, while Spain are attempting to stop the USA's remarkable run and reach another World Cup final.