The United States advanced to the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup final after surviving a demanding semifinal challenge from Spain in Berlin.

The supplied full-game transcript shows Spain leading during the first half, matching Team USA through three quarters, and entering the fourth tied at 58.

The Americans then created the decisive separation through interior scoring, defensive pressure, free throws, and veteran execution.

The automatic captions end before a complete final announcement and do not provide the final score.

They do state that the winner would face France and describe Spain’s strong performance as insufficient, making Team USA’s advancement clear.

No final margin should be invented from the incomplete closing call.

Spain established immediately that the semifinal would not resemble an ordinary American procession.

The game opened with Copper, Chelsea Gray, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Jackie Young identified as the Team USA starters.

The commentators highlighted the Americans’ seven additional weapons and noted that their reserve players possessed starting-level ability.

Spain also brought meaningful depth, including experienced point guard Cristina Ouviña or a similarly referenced reserve, although the transcript’s name recognition is unreliable.

From the opening tip, Spain attacked confidently.

An American attempt was blocked almost immediately, and Spain connected from three before using cuts and interior passing to challenge the defense.

Raquel Carrera became an early factor with movement around the basket.

The broadcast observed that she had been quiet in the quarterfinal but was clearly active against the United States.

Spain’s experience against WNBA players appeared to reduce any intimidation surrounding the matchup.

The commentary noted that three Spanish starters were playing in the WNBA and that another had been drafted for the following season.

That familiarity helped Spain attack individual matchups instead of reacting passively to the Americans’ reputation.

At one stage, the broadcast said Team USA trailed by eight, reportedly its largest deficit of the tournament to that point.

Gray responded with an important basket, but Spain continued driving, cutting, and feeding its interior players.

The American reserves entered with Rhyne Howard, Paige Bueckers, and Aliyah Boston among the rotation changes.

Boston worked for deep position, while Howard searched for perimeter opportunities and Bueckers tried to increase the pace.

Spain’s defense complicated those efforts with physical coverage and changing looks.

The transcript later describes Spain using a two-three zone, a strategy it returned to repeatedly.

That zone protected the interior, encouraged outside shots, and forced Team USA to solve possessions through patient passing.

The Americans did not always respond cleanly.

Several possessions ended with missed threes, late-clock attempts, or turnovers that allowed Spain to run.

Spain remained dangerous whenever live-ball mistakes created space before the American defense could organize.

The commentary repeatedly emphasized the need to value possession against teams capable of converting turnovers quickly.

Caitlin Clark entered alongside other reserves and contributed as a passer and transition initiator.

One early sequence showed Clark finding Boston for two points.

Later, she attempted a deep three and drew a shooting foul.

The transcript does not provide Clark’s complete stat line, and the broken play-by-play prevents a reliable reconstruction of her minutes or shooting numbers.

Her role is best described through the recorded actions rather than unsupported totals.

Angel Reese affected the game primarily through rebounding, physicality, and defensive pressure.

She collected an important offensive board and drew a foul after Young declined a three-pointer for a midrange attempt.

The commentators praised Reese’s elite ability to displace defenders and pursue the ball.

She also defended larger Spanish players and later secured a rebound during a critical late-third-quarter possession.

Spain maintained control for meaningful stretches because its guards repeatedly navigated the American defense.

The transcript renders several names inconsistently, including Martín, Cazorla, Conde, Buenavida, Flores, and Gustafson.

Some references may be mistranscriptions or partial surnames.

This report avoids silently correcting uncertain identities when the source itself does not make them clear.

Elena Buenavida appears to have provided important scoring and creation, while María Conde hit perimeter shots and attacked matchups.

Martín generated several of Spain’s most spectacular moments.

One spinning, up-and-under finish against Stewart prompted the commentators to call it a tournament highlight.

The play mattered because it came against one of the world’s most respected defenders.

Spain’s success was not limited to difficult individual baskets.

Backdoor cuts repeatedly punished moments when American defenders lost vision, and extra passes created open corner threes.

Carrera’s screening and finishing gave the guards another target around the rim.

Spain also used transition opportunities to keep Team USA from dictating every possession.

The broadcast expressed surprise that Spain had produced six fast-break points during one segment, suggesting the Americans usually expected to own that category.

Team USA relied on Stewart whenever it needed stability.

She scored through traffic, drew fouls, defended multiple positions, and later became the central figure in the decisive fourth-quarter stretch.

Her versatility allowed the Americans to use her as a post scorer, passer, screener, and rim protector without changing personnel.

Copper added forceful downhill attacks and converted a basket through contact that restored a four-point American advantage.

Young supplied midrange creation, defensive activity, and timely passing.

Gray managed the half-court offense during late possessions when pace and clock control became more important than transition volume.

The first three quarters never allowed Team USA to become comfortable.

Spain led by one during a late third-quarter exchange after a corner three.

The Americans were shooting only three of 14 from beyond the arc, according to the broadcast near the end of the period.

That poor outside percentage made Spain’s zone increasingly valuable.

Instead of opening the floor through shooting, Team USA had to win through offensive rebounding, interior mismatches, foul pressure, and defense.

The quarter ended with both teams tied at 58.

The commentary captured the tension directly, with one announcer admitting nervousness without knowing which side inspired it.

That reaction reflected how thoroughly Spain had disrupted expectations.

The Americans entered the fourth quarter ten minutes from either the final or a major upset.

Stewart immediately became more assertive.

She scored early in the period and continued demanding favorable matchups around the lane.

Young found open space, Clark pushed the ball ahead, and Copper cut toward the basket as Team USA searched for a sustainable advantage.

Spain continued creating impressive responses.

A no-look pass on a backdoor cut produced another exceptional chance, while its guards kept attacking before the American help could settle.

The game’s defining individual sequence arrived when Spain stripped Stewart in the low post.

That turnover offered Spain an opportunity to halt the emerging American run.

Martín attacked the basket, but Stewart recovered and rejected the attempt.

The broadcast punctuated the block with a forceful declaration that Stewart had denied her.

On the next American action, Stewart returned to the low block and converted a turnaround shot over three defenders.

The play combined resilience, defense, and shot-making within seconds.

Stewart did not allow the turnover to affect the following possession.

She erased the opponent’s chance at one end and then punished a crowded defense at the other.

That two-way response represents the leadership Team USA needed in its most competitive game of the tournament.

Free throws also shaped the fourth quarter.

The transcript says Team USA reached its 35th free-throw attempt, a major volume that sparked commentary about officiating throughout the broadcast.

The announcers debated several calls and expressed concern that the referees might alter their approach after halftime.

Those opinions do not establish unfair officiating.

A proper evaluation would require the full foul log, video of every decision, and consistent criteria for both teams.

The available captions show physical play on both sides and several sequences where the commentators themselves disagreed.

Team USA eventually opened a ten-point lead.

Spain, which had scored 22 points in the third quarter, managed only four early points in the fourth, according to one broadcast passage.

That contrast reveals the defensive adjustment behind the separation.

The Americans tightened their interior coverage, contested late-clock attempts, and forced Spain into more difficult creation.

Even when Team USA missed outside shots, Spain struggled to reproduce the efficient movement that had sustained it earlier.

Young and Gray helped protect the advantage in the final minutes.

With approximately ninety seconds remaining and Spain down ten, the broadcast stressed that Spain needed immediate stops and quick scores.

The United States instead used the clock and continued finding veteran shot creators.

Young scored against Martín, and Gray controlled another possession as the remaining time disappeared.

Spain continued competing through offensive rebounds and hurried attempts, but the required comeback never materialized.

The semifinal demonstrated both American strength and areas of concern.

Team USA survived poor three-point shooting and a tied game after three quarters because its defense and interior options remained reliable.

That adaptability is valuable entering a final against France.

However, the turnovers, inconsistent zone offense, and occasional missed backdoor coverage provide clear material for Lawson’s staff to address.

France had already shown strong perimeter shooting and transition pressure during its quarterfinal run.

The United States cannot assume the same late defensive surge will erase every earlier mistake.

Spain leaves the tournament with a performance that deserves recognition.

It led by eight, forced the Americans into uncomfortable lineups, created spectacular finishes, and remained level through thirty minutes.

The final result did not reflect a team overwhelmed by reputation.

It reflected a semifinalist that demanded a championship response from the defending power.

The transcript’s missing final sentence and frequent caption errors prevent a complete statistical account.

Its overall basketball story is nevertheless clear.

Spain controlled important stretches, Team USA endured, and Stewart’s fourth-quarter influence helped transform a tie into a decisive American advantage.

The United States will play France for the World Cup title.

It reached that stage not through its easiest victory, but through the pressure of a semifinal that tested depth, patience, and veteran resolve.