France's women's basketball team will face the United States in Berlin on Sunday, September 13, in the final of the Women's Basketball World Cup, the first world final in the history of the French team.
The match comes two years after France lost the Olympic final in Paris to the same American opponents by a single point, 67-66. Coached by Jean-Aimé Toupane, the French squad are chasing their first world title as they meet the United States again on the sport's biggest stage.
France reached the final by beating China 90-61 in the quarterfinal and then Germany 86-64 in the semifinal, a run built around guard Romane Berniès that eliminated the tournament's German hosts.
How to watch France v USA
The final will be played in Berlin, with kickoff set for 8pm French time. The match will be broadcast live and free on TMC, a free-to-air channel owned by France's TF1 group. Subscribers to BeIN Sports, a pay-television network that holds the broadcast rights to the tournament, will also be able to follow the game on the group's main channel.
The Women's Basketball World Cup is organised by FIBA, the sport's world governing body, and is contested every four years by the leading national teams. This year's edition is being staged in Germany.
Macron's cancelled trip
French President Emmanuel Macron had been expected to travel to Berlin to attend the final in person but has since cancelled his trip, according to French media reports.
France's unbeaten run to the final
Toupane, who began his coaching career at the Toulouse club then known as the Spacers, has overseen steady progress in the French team since 2021. France arrive in the final unbeaten, having won all five of their matches at the tournament, none by a margin of fewer than 22 points.
The United States are also unbeaten so far in the competition, though they were made to work harder than expected by Italy in the group stage, winning just 55-52.
More basketball news from France
The build-up to the final came during a busy week of basketball coverage in France. Elsewhere in the sport, a basketball star's decision to step into a boxing ring weeks before the NBA season resumes also made headlines.
In French domestic basketball, BC Layrac Astaffort picked up its first win of the season in the men's Nationale 3, beating Avenir Basket Chalosse despite a strong performance from Rémi Lesca, while Tarbes Lourdes, helped by Ateba, defeated Les Sables.
Montauban also got on the scoreboard at home in the men's Nationale 3. In the Wonderligue, Toulouse Métropole Basket has had to adapt to a reshuffled squad, a shortened pre-season, cancelled friendly matches and delayed visas for some of its players.
