DUBAI: France’s defeat to the US in Sunday’s FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup final continued a remarkable recent pattern between two countries that have now met in three major basketball finals across the men’s and women’s game in just over two years. The US came from 14 points down to beat France 97-79 in Berlin, securing a fifth consecutive World Cup title and extending their winning streak in the competition to 36 games. For France, a best-ever World Cup finish was the latest sign of the country’s growing presence at the top of international basketball, but also another major final that ended with the US taking gold. The pattern began at the Paris Olympics in 2024, when France reached both basketball finals on home soil. The men were first, with a 20-year-old Victor Wembanyama scoring 26 points as France pushed a US team featuring LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. France remained within reach late in the game before Curry hit four 3-pointers in the closing stages to help the US secure a 98-87 victory and his first Olympic gold medal. The following day, France’s women came even closer. The US edged the hosts 67-66 after Gabby Williams scored at the buzzer, only for her foot to be inside the 3-point line. Instead of forcing overtime, the basket left France one point short of a first Olympic gold in women’s basketball. Two years later, the two countries were back in a major final, this time at the Women’s World Cup in Berlin. France arrived in impressive form, having won their first five games by an average of 35.6 points and none by fewer than 22. The US, meanwhile, were integrating a new generation. Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese were among seven players competing in their first major senior 5-on-5 tournament, while A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum missed the competition through injury. For much of the first half, France appeared capable of changing the recent pattern. Williams scored 16 points as France went on a 21-2 run to build a 31-17 lead. But the US cut the deficit to 45-43 by halftime, helped by a late Clark 3-pointer, before taking control with a 30-12 third quarter. Breanna Stewart led the US with 22 points and was named tournament MVP, while Jackie Young added 18. Dominique Malonga led France with 21 points and Williams finished with 20. The victory meant that all three major finals between the countries since Paris 2024 have ended the same way: with the US taking gold and France silver. But France’s ability to reach those finals across both the men’s and women’s game has added another dimension to a growing basketball rivalry, while highlighting the country’s emergence as one of the leading challengers to American dominance. The women’s latest opportunity ended with silver in Berlin. For the men, the next major global target is already approaching. Qatar will host the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2027, the first edition of the men’s tournament to be staged in the region, with France expected to be among the contenders. At the center of those ambitions will be Wembanyama, who will arrive in a very different position from the 20-year-old making his Olympic debut in Paris. Now 22, the San Antonio Spurs star has been named France captain ahead of the World Cup qualifying campaign. He averaged 15.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists at the Paris Olympics, where he helped France reach the gold-medal game. His development has continued at club level, where he helped San Antonio reach the 2026 NBA Finals, adding another major stage to his experience before returning to the French national team. France’s depth extends beyond Wembanyama, with experienced names such as Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier joined by a younger generation including Bilal Coulibaly and Zaccharie Risacher. Yet for all their recent success, one achievement remains missing. Neither France’s senior men’s nor women’s team has won an Olympic or FIBA World Cup title. The men have twice finished third at the World Cup, in 2014 and 2019, while their biggest title came at EuroBasket in 2013. That gives next year’s tournament in Qatar added significance for a French men’s team looking to turn years of international contention into a first global title. The US remain the benchmark, but France have continued to get back to the biggest stage, adding another chapter to a rivalry that is increasingly playing out with gold on the line. The women’s latest challenge ended in Berlin. Next year, Wembanyama and the French men will have their opportunity in Qatar, where victory would deliver something French basketball has never achieved before.