BERLIN — The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup opened with fireworks in Berlin as Japan rewrote the record books from beyond the arc while Caitlin Clark delivered a history-making debut to help the United States launch its title defense with a convincing victory.
Japan survived a determined Mali side, 102-97, behind a remarkable shooting performance from Saki Hayashi, who buried nine three-pointers to establish a new individual record in Women’s World Cup history.
Japan also made history as a team, knocking down 20 three-pointers—a new World Cup record and an improvement on the previous team mark of 19, which Japan had shared with the 1994 Brazil team.
The victory was anything but easy.
Mali controlled much of the game before Japan finally pulled level at 79-79 with 6:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. Mai Yamamoto helped ignite the comeback before Kokoro Tanaka sealed the result with a late free throw.
Aminata Sangare led Mali with 22 points as the African side pushed Japan to the limit in its World Cup opener.
But the night ultimately belonged to Japan’s historic shooting display.
Hayashi rewrites the record book
Hayashi’s nine made three-pointers surpassed the previous Women’s World Cup individual record of eight.
Her shooting became one of the defining moments of the tournament’s opening day, particularly as Japan continued to fire from long range throughout the contest.
The performance also reinforced Japan’s reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous perimeter-oriented teams.
FIBA’s official tournament coverage confirmed both records, highlighting Hayashi’s shooting explosion and Japan’s unprecedented 20 three-pointers.
Japan will have little time to celebrate, however, with host Germany waiting in its next game.
Caitlin Clark makes history in World Cup debut
Across Berlin, the United States began its quest for a fifth consecutive Women’s Basketball World Cup title with a dominant 94-61 victory over China.
And while Clark did not need a huge scoring night to make an impact, she immediately left her mark on the record book.
The Indiana Fever star finished with 14 points and 11 assists, becoming the first U.S. player to record more than nine assists in her Women’s World Cup debut.
FIBA noted that Clark’s 11 assists surpassed the previous U.S. debut record of nine assists, set by Alyssa Thomas against Belgium in 2022. Clark also became only the eighth player since assists were officially recorded in 1994 to hand out more than 10 assists in a Women’s World Cup game.
NBC Sports reported that Clark came off the bench and helped the Americans establish control against China, which featured towering 7-foot-3 teenager Zhang Ziyu.
Clark’s performance came despite the absence of four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, who is not part of the U.S. roster for the tournament.
Rhyne Howard also scored 14 points for the Americans, while Jackie Young added 12.
The result extended the United States’ remarkable World Cup winning streak to 31 consecutive games, dating back to the Americans’ semifinal loss to Russia in 2006. The U.S. also extended its combined Olympic and World Cup winning streak to 67 games.
A new era for the Women’s World Cup
The opening day underlined just how much has changed in women’s international basketball.
The 2026 tournament is the 20th edition of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup and has expanded to 16 teams.
The competition is being staged in Berlin from September 4 to 13, with games taking place at the 14,000-seat Berlin Arena and 9,000-capacity Max-Schmeling-Halle.
The expanded format also raises the stakes from the opening games.
The four group winners advance directly to the quarterfinals, while teams finishing second and third must go through an additional qualification round. The teams finishing fourth in each group are eliminated.
That makes Japan’s comeback victory particularly valuable—and puts even greater importance on every game in the group stage.
Japan and USA send an early warning
The opening results offered two very different statements.
Japan showed that its outside shooting can overwhelm opponents, even after falling behind for long stretches.
The United States, meanwhile, demonstrated that it can remain overwhelmingly dangerous without some of its biggest established stars.
For Japan, the next challenge comes against host Germany.
For Team USA, the next test is Italy as the Americans continue their pursuit of another world championship.
With Clark making her World Cup debut, Japan rewriting the three-point record book and several contenders already making early statements, the tournament has wasted no time delivering the drama.
And if opening day is any indication, the biggest surprises of the 2026 Women’s Basketball World Cup may still be ahead.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.S
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