France produced a dominant performance to defeat China 90-61 in Berlin on Thursday, securing a place in the semi-finals of the Women's Basketball World Cup. The victory sends the French national team into the tournament's last four for the first time since 1953.
The 2024 Olympic silver medalists, coached by Jean-Aimé Toupane, will face either two-time reigning European champions Belgium or host nation Germany in Saturday's semi-final at 16:30 local time in Berlin.
Marine Johannès and Janelle Salaün led the scoring for France with 15 points each. Johannès also provided seven assists while coming off the bench, while Salaün shot three for seven from three-point range. Gabby Williams added 14 points, and Leïla Lacan scored 12 points in 17 minutes.
China were led by 2.05-metre center Han Xu, who finished with a team-high 21 points and nine rebounds, while Yang Shuyu added 19 points. However, France successfully contained China's 19-year-old, 2.23-metre center Zhang Ziyu, holding her to seven points, eight rebounds, and three blocks while forcing seven turnovers in her 18 minutes on the court.
Dominant first half establishes command
France launched the quarter-final with a starting lineup of Lacan, Williams, Salaün, Valériane Ayayi, and Marième Badiane, keeping Johannès and Dominique Malonga as luxury substitutes. Williams set an authoritative early pace as France built an initial 14-7 lead midway through the opening quarter.
China responded through Han Xu, whose offensive contributions pulled her team back within two points at 18-20. A long-range three-pointer from Johannès in the ninth minute restored momentum, allowing France to close the first period ahead 25-20.
In the second quarter, Salaün sank a three-pointer in the 18th minute to extend the lead to 42-29, marking the largest advantage of the first half. Pauline Astier added another basket in the 19th minute to make it 46-29.
France took a 48-31 advantage into halftime after missed late possessions by Salaün and Lacan. France outscored China 23-11 in the second quarter, displaying high efficiency across their entire rotation.
France benefited from additional rest ahead of the knockout stage, having been inactive since Monday afternoon following the conclusion of group play. China, by contrast, entered the quarter-final after playing a qualification playoff match on Wednesday late afternoon.
Third quarter push and defensive control
France maintained their defensive intensity coming out of the halftime break. The team built a 25-point lead at 70-45 during the third quarter as China struggled to find offensive solutions.
Zhang Ziyu struggled from the free-throw line, missing her first attempt before converting her second to make the score 70-46. She scored her first field goal of the match on an offensive rebound at the third-quarter buzzer, bringing the score to 70-48 at the end of the period.
France took a 22-point margin into the final period, having outscored China 22-17 in the third quarter while continuing to limit Zhang Ziyu's effectiveness inside the paint.
Garbage time and bench contributions
With the outcome largely determined, Toupane opened his bench in the fourth quarter. Guard Carla Leite made a clever loose-ball recovery during her senior international debut for the national team.
Dominique Malonga added a challenging off-balance shot over the towering silhouette of Zhang Ziyu to bring the score to 79-55. Malonga joined France's collective defensive effort in limiting the impact of China's frontcourt.
Substitute Aminata Gueye scored a basket to push the score to 86-57 while the song Dans les yeux d'Emilie echoed through the arena. Malonga then scored to extend the advantage beyond 30 points at 88-57.
Romane Bernies and Gueye, who had played zero minutes prior to the final stretch, completed the remaining minutes of the match. China added late points to finish the match, which ended in a 90-61 win for France after a 20-13 fourth quarter.
Historical background and tournament outlook
The victory prolongs an undefeated World Cup campaign for France, who swept their group stage with three wins by an average margin of 40.6 points against Hungary, South Korea, and Nigeria. The current squad boasts eight WNBA players, combining an unprecedented level of depth and individual skill.
The win also marks a major milestone for France after recent international heartbreak, including a 65-64 loss to Spain in the semi-finals of Eurobasket 2025. Reaching the semi-finals fulfills a primary target for the squad as they seek their first World Cup medal since 1953.
In the day's first quarter-final match, the United States defeated Hungary 108-56. The American team set new World Cup quarter-final records by scoring 108 points and recording 31 assists, becoming the first team to tally 30 or more assists in a quarter-final fixture.
A potential final matchup between France and the United States would recreate the gold medal game of the Paris 2024 Olympics, though France must first navigate Saturday's semi-final against Belgium or Germany.
