Women’s World Cup: Mali Pulls Off Shock Win and Throws Group A Wide Open

Mali produced one of the biggest shocks of recent Women’s World Cups, beating Spain 82-73 in Berlin and turning Group A into a scramble before the final round.

The victory was only Mali’s second in the history of the tournament and its first against a European team. It came against last year’s EuroBasket finalist, which had opened the competition by crushing Germany by 30 points.

Sika Koné led Mali’s historic night with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three three-pointers from four attempts. She recorded her fifth consecutive double-double at a World Cup. Djeneba Ndiaye also scored 19 points, while Rokiatou Doumbia controlled the game with eight points, nine assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Spain responded to Mali’s early 17-9 lead with an 8-0 run and twice moved seven points ahead in the second quarter, reaching 34-27. The turning point came in the third quarter, when Spain took a 45-44 lead. Mali answered with back-to-back three-pointers for a 50-45 advantage and then pulled away. A 7-0 run spanning the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth extended the lead from 61-53 to 68-53. Spain’s Iyana Martín scored 20 points, including nine in the final 2:21, but could not reverse the result.

Germany took advantage of the upset by defeating Japan 74-58. After two rounds, four teams in Group A had the same record, leaving qualification scenarios finely balanced for the final games. Germany recorded its first World Cup win since 1998. Hungary also ended a 28-year wait for a World Cup victory with its win over Nigeria, while Júlia Juhász and Kiss combined for 30 rebounds to break the previous mark of 28 by two teammates.