Team USA is on the brink of making history right now, hunting for their fifth consecutive gold medal at the FIBA Women’s World Cup! A win would tie the Soviet Union’s incredible record of five straight golds from 1959-75, a record that has stood for decades in a competition dating all the way back to 1953. The quarterfinals are set to kick off immediately, with the semifinals on Saturday and the final on Sunday.
The Knockout Rounds Kick Off in Berlin
After a wild day in Berlin, the FIBA Women’s World Cup quarterfinals are locked in, and it’s time for some high-stakes basketball. China and Australia just barely clinched the last two spots on Wednesday, pulling out narrow wins against Puerto Rico and Italy, respectively. Now, the matchups are ready to roll.
Team USA tips off their pursuit of history against Hungary early on Thursday morning at 5:30 a.m. ET, airing on TNT and HBO Max. Later, France takes on China at 8:30 a.m. ET, followed by Belgium battling Germany at 11:45 a.m. ET. The day rounds out with Australia facing Spain at 2:45 p.m. ET. You can catch those last three games on truTV and HBO Max. It’s win or go home, baby, and the energy is going to be through the roof!
The Path To Gold And The Player To Watch
The bracket is absolutely wild, y’all. On one side, the winner of Team USA and Hungary will square off against whoever comes out on top between Australia and Spain. On the other side, the France vs. China winner meets the Belgium vs. Germany winner. This setup means we cannot see Team USA and France go head-to-head until the final. Imagine that! It could be a rematch of the 2024 Olympics gold medal game in Paris, a game Team USA snatched by a single point.
The odds tell you everything you need to know about who the favorites are. FanDuel has Team USA as the clear frontrunner at -310, though that’s a slight bump from their pre-tournament -380. France, our biggest threat, has seen their odds improve from +700 to +480 after dominating their group stage with three wins by an insane average of 42.3 points. Don’t sleep on Aliyah Boston for Team USA either. She’s averaging only 5.3 points, but she’s our lone true center and does some serious yeoman’s work in the paint, especially crucial against Hungary’s size.
Team USA’s journey to a fifth straight gold medal starts bright and early Thursday against Hungary. Can they keep their historic run alive? You won’t want to miss a second of it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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