Madrid, September 6, 2026 – The Europe Today: Mali produced the first major upset of the Women’s Basketball World Cup, defeating Spain 82-73 in a remarkable Group A encounter on Saturday.
The victory marked only the second World Cup win in Mali’s history. The African side previously recorded its only other tournament victory against Senegal in overtime in 2010.
Mali trailed Spain by two points at halftime but turned the game around with a dominant third quarter, outscoring its opponents 31-19. A decisive 16-4 run after Spain led 45-44 gave Mali control of the contest.
Sika Kone played a key role in the victory, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while Djeneba N’Diaye also contributed 19 points. Kone, who plays for the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA, hit three-pointers during Mali’s decisive surge.
Mali opened the fourth quarter with five consecutive points and maintained its advantage for the remainder of the game. Iyana Martin led Spain with 20 points. Both teams now have 1-1 records.
Germany Defeat Japan
Hosts Germany secured their first tournament victory with a 74-58 win over Japan in front of a sold-out crowd.
Germany established control early, outscoring Japan 28-11 in the opening quarter. Japan struggled to reproduce its shooting performance from its opening game, making just three of 27 attempts from three-point range after setting a World Cup record with 20 three-pointers a day earlier.
Frieda Buhner scored 19 points and Nyara Sabally added 18 for Germany, while Kokoro Tanaka led Japan with 15 points. All four teams in Group A are now tied at 1-1.
Hungary End 28-Year World Cup Wait
Hungary defeated Nigeria 71-67 to record its first Women’s Basketball World Cup victory since 1998.
Dorka Juhasz led Hungary with 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Virag Takacs-Kiss added 17 points. Nigeria mounted a late comeback after trailing by 14 points with less than four minutes remaining but could not complete the turnaround.
France Maintain Perfect Start
France recovered from a slow start to defeat South Korea 95-69 and remain unbeaten in the tournament.
Marine Johannes scored 17 points, including 14 in the first half, as France overturned a seven-point deficit after the opening quarter. France then took control with a 24-4 run early in the third quarter.
Dominique Malonga and Gabby Williams each finished with 14 points as France improved to 2-0, while South Korea dropped to 1-1.
