New FIBA World Cup Power Rankings Add Extra Fuel to Potential USA-France Meeting
Going into the World Cup, France looked like the biggest challenger to Team USA. Sue Bird built a stacked roster, with proven veterans like Breanna Stewart and Chelsea Gray leading a new generation of stars headlined by Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese.
However, France was just one shot away from beating Team USA in the gold medal game at the Paris Olympics and has a much improved roster with youngsters Dominique Malonga, Leila Lacan, Carla Leite, and Pauline Astier really coming into their own while playing in the WNBA this summer.
After a dominant group phase, France looks less like merely a potential challenger and more like a force equal to Team USA’s talent. France leads all teams in the tournament in points, assists, and steals per game, as well as in efficiency. FIBA’s latest Smart Power Rankings reflect that change. After going undefeated in the group stage and beating two of its opponents by over 40 points, France jumped into first place, leapfrogging the U.S.
If the two teams meet again in a high-profile game, it will be quite the showdown. France is hungry for a gold medal and has proven that it belongs in the same tier as the U.S. on one of the biggest international stages. Team USA, meanwhile, has incredible talent and a strong legacy to uphold. The fact that FIBA found good reason to rank France above the U.S. in the power rankings only increases the pressure on Team USA to prove that it still has an edge over the rest of the world.
USA Basketball hasn’t lost a high-profile game on the international stage in a long time
The USA won eleven of the first twenty World Cups. The last time they didn’t win was in 2006, when Australia beat Russia for the gold medal, and the U.S. won bronze against Brazil despite showing up with a stacked roster that featured Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker, Tina Thompson, Tamika Catchings, Sheryl Swoopes, Sue Bird, Seimone Augustus, Alana Beard, DeLisha Milton-Jones, Cheryl Ford, Michelle Snow, and Katie Smith.
To put that in perspective, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, the youngest members of Team USA this year, were just three years old the last time the U.S. didn’t win gold at a World Cup. Neither one was even born yet the last time the U.S. women’s team didn’t win gold at the Olympics.
No one wants to be part of the team that ends that streak, but the rest of the world is catching up, and France is at the helm of that evolution.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.