The wall of the world’s second-ranked team proved too high.
South Korea suffered a 69-95 defeat to France in the second Group B match of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup, held in Berlin, Germany, on September 6. After defeating Nigeria 99-81 on the opening day of the tournament (September 4), South Korea fell to 1 win and 1 loss (goal difference -8), placing second in the group. France leads the group with 2 wins (goal difference +72), followed by Hungary in third (1 win, 1 loss; goal difference -42) and Nigeria in fourth (2 losses; goal difference -22).
South Korea (FIBA 15th) will face Hungary (FIBA 19th) in the final Group B match at 9:30 p.m. Korean time on September 7. France has virtually secured the top spot in the group, advancing directly to the quarterfinals. The second-place team in Group B will face the third-place team from Group A, while the third-place team in Group B will play against the second-place team from Group A in a single-elimination match for a quarterfinals berth. In Group A, Spain, Mali, Japan, and Germany are all at 1 win and 1 loss.
South Korea, facing France—the world’s second-ranked team and 2024 Paris Olympics runner-up—took an early lead, 31-24, in the first quarter. The team made six three-pointers (9 attempts), with Heo Ye-eun scoring three and Kang Yi-seul adding two.
However, South Korea’s offense stalled under France’s defense in the second quarter. The team failed to score for the first 3 minutes and 40 seconds, conceding 14 consecutive points to trail 31-38. South Korea managed only six additional points in the quarter, finishing the first half 37-43. By the end of the third quarter, the deficit had widened to 52-76. Head coach Park Soo-ho rotated bench players in the fourth quarter to prepare for the upcoming match against Hungary.
Heo Ye-eun scored 12 points (including five three-pointers) with five assists, Lee Hae-ran added 12 points (four rebounds), and Lee So-hee contributed 10 points. Park Ji-hyun, a WNBA, the U.S. women’s professional basketball league, player for the LA Sparks, who scored 27 points in the first match, was limited to 2 points in 17 minutes and 39 seconds of play. Star shooter Kang Yi-seul scored 8 points in 13 minutes.
South Korea was outrebounded 21-38 by France. Both teams made 12 three-pointers, but South Korea’s success rate (38.7%) trailed France’s (46.2%). France had four players scoring in double digits: Marine Johannes (17 points, four three-pointers) and Dominique Malonga (14 points, five rebounds).
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