The Chinese women's basketball team lost to the United States in the first game, losing 61:94.

China News Service, Berlin, September 4. The 2026 FIBA ​​Women's Basketball World Cup kicked off in Berlin, Germany, on the 4th local time. The Chinese team, the runner-up in the last World Cup, lost 61:94 to the defending champion United States team in the first game of the group stage.

The 16 participating teams in this World Cup are divided into four groups. The top team in each group directly advances to the quarterfinals. The second and third ranked teams will compete in a cross-match to determine the remaining four quarterfinals seats. The Chinese team is ranked in Group D, along with the United States, the Czech Republic and Italy.

The U.S. women's basketball team is strong and has won four consecutive World Cups. The 12-man roster includes six top picks in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) draft and is considered the favorite to win the championship. When the two teams met in the last World Cup final, the Chinese women's basketball team lost to the United States team 61:83.

Compared with the lineup that won the World Cup runner-up four years ago, today's Chinese women's basketball team has added young players such as Zhang Ziyu. Only Han Xu, Wang Siyu and Li Yuan remain in the runner-up team. This young team lacks experience in competitions.

In this game, after a brief back-and-forth between the two teams at the beginning, the US team quickly established a double-digit lead with a "rain of three points" and ended the first quarter with 27:14. In the second quarter, the Chinese team launched a 9:0 offensive climax and once narrowed the point difference to 7 points. However, in the second half of the quarter, the Chinese team's offensive end "misfired" and the American team scored consecutive counterattacks. After halftime, the Chinese team trailed the American team 29:49.

After changing sides and fighting again, the offensive efficiency of both teams has declined. In the second half of the third quarter, the Chinese team relied on its core core Zhang Ziyu to score with difficulty. The American team's internal and external offense flourished, extending the lead to 28 points. In the final quarter, the two teams always maintained a score difference of about 30 points, and the Chinese team finally lost 61:94.

After this game, the US women's basketball team has won 30 consecutive victories in the World Cup. Three people in the Chinese women's basketball team scored in double figures in this campaign. Zhang Ziyu and Luo Xincheng each contributed 13 points and 6 rebounds. Han Xu scored 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Veteran Wang Siyu, who did not play in this game, said that there is a gap in strength between the two teams, and the Chinese team aims to sharpen the lineup through the first game and prepare for the next two group matches.

On the 6th local time, the Chinese women’s basketball team will face the Czech team, the second opponent in the group stage. In the World Cup qualifying match held in Wuhan in March this year, the Chinese team defeated the Czech team 84:74. (over)