Women’s Basketball World Cup: German fans celebrated them anyway

Leonie Fiebich briefly shook hands with each of her teammates before becoming the first German player to walk into the locker room, her head slightly bowed. Germany had wondered how it would handle the pressure of opening a home World Cup against Spain. Few expected such a start.

Spain made 19 of 34 shots in the first half. Germany made only seven of 30. By halftime, the hosts trailed 50-24 at Berlin’s Uber Arena. “It was a very difficult first quarter,” Germany coach Olaf Lange said afterward. “And the second was not much better.”

Germany eventually lost 83-53 in a painful defeat. The team had already struggled in three warm-up games to create open shots, and the same problem returned against Spain. German players rarely managed to shake off their opponents. Many attempts came under pressure near the end of the shot clock, while some possessions ended without a shot at all.

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It was a very difficult first quarter. And the second was not much better.

The final figures were stark. Germany converted just 18 of 62 attempts, a poor 29%, while Spain shot 53.5%. Lange said Spain had been better “in every area.” Chancellor Friedrich Merz watched from the arena, but his presence brought the team no more luck than it had brought his party in a state election campaign.

Germany’s progress in recent years made the defeat especially jarring. The team last appeared at a World Cup in 1998, when it qualified automatically as host. Germany finished fifth at last year’s European Championship and has moved from playing in school gyms before small crowds to filling major arenas. But against Spain, one of Europe’s leading teams, the gap remained unmistakable. Fans still celebrated their team after the heavy loss.

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In every area.