USA vs France FIBA World Cup Gold Medal Game Schedule Set

The USA women's basketball team defeated Spain by a score of 76-66 in the FIBA World Cup semifinal on Saturday.

The championship game will be against France and is taking place on Sunday, September 13, at 2 PM ET. It will air on TNT, TruTV and stream on HBO Max.

France is coming off a dominant 89-62 victory against Germany in their semifinal matchup, which took place on Saturday morning. France is 5-0 in the FIBA World Cup to this point and has dominated every opponent they have played, as their average margin of victory is a staggering 35.6 points per game.

The USA squad's average margin of victory is 32.25 points per game. This is obviously still impressive, especially since the USA's group-stage win against Italy was only by three points.

Paige Bueckers takes a shot during a FIBA World Cup game. | IMAGO / SOPA Images

France Will Be USA's Toughest Test

There's no question that France is the second-best women's basketball team in the world right now, and perhaps the only one that can consistently challenge the USA roster. In fact, FIBA’s latestSmart Power Rankings have France ranked ahead of the USA.

France boasts a roster full of active WNBA players, including several superstars. Golden State Valkyries standouts Gabby Williams and Janelle Salaun are vital players, as are New York Liberty guards Marinna Johannes and Pauline Astier.

Connecticut Sun guard Laila Lacan, Portland Fire guard Carla Leite, and Seattle Storm forward Domonique Malonga are all important pieces for France's success as well, and indicates why this squad matches up about as well as another country can hope to against Team USA.

The French side won't be intimidated by the USA's star-studded roster and has already proven in the past that they can compete with the Americans when it matters most.

Look no further than the Paris 2024 Olympics gold medal game, where the USA won 67-66 in what was a thrilling, tightly-contested affair.

Gabby Williams drained a last-second shot at the buzzer that initially looked like it might have been a three-pointer, which would have tied the game. But her foot was on the line upon review, which meant France fell one point short of sending the game to overtime.

UNBELIEVABLE ENDING IN PARIS. 😱

Gabby Williams banked it in at the buzzer but her FOOT WAS ON THE THREE-POINT LINE. TEAM USA WINS BY A SINGLE POINT.#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/DJI7YxfVMl
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 11, 2024

Gabby Williams spoke with the media after beating Germany on Saturday and was asked what she and France learned from that loss against the USA.

"We know the feeling of disappointment and we don't want to go through that again," Williams said in translated French.

The women's basketball world will see whether they go through it or not on Sunday.

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