France Women’s Basketball Team Beats China in Final World Cup Warm-Up

A Strong Finish in Berlin

Playing behind closed doors in Berlin, the French team controlled the tempo from the opening tip. Les Bleues established a 23-14 lead after the first quarter and stretched the advantage to 47-33 by halftime. A dominant third quarter pushed the score to 69-44, making the final period largely academic as France coasted to the 83-54 win.

The matchup served as a rematch of sorts against a Chinese side that eliminated France in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup. However, the Chinese roster played without 2.20-meter standout Zhang Ziyu, a key contributor for her national side.

Balanced Scoring Sparks the Offense

France displayed formidable offensive depth in the victory, placing five players in double figures. Carla Leite led the scoring effort with 15 points, followed by Dominique Malonga with 12 points and Valériane Ayayi with 11. Marième Badiane and Marine Johannès each added 10 points to round out the balanced attack.

For China, Yang Shuyu scored 12 points and Yu Sun contributed 10 points. The Chinese team faces a daunting tournament opener on Saturday against the United States, a squad that has captured four World Cup titles and held the Olympic crown since 1996.

World Cup Opener and Group Stage Outlook

Fresh off a silver-medal performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and a fourth-place finish at the European Championship the previous year, France turns its attention to the global stage. Les Bleues open group play on Friday at 21:00 local time in Berlin against Hungary.

The French side shares Group play with South Korea and Nigeria, with the primary objective of securing first place in the pool to earn direct qualification into the quarterfinals. Teams finishing second and third must navigate a qualification playoff round. France enters the tournament pursuing a historic podium finish; the program’s only previous World Cup medal is a bronze won in 1953.