Mali Stun Spain for Historic Second Women’s Basketball World Cup Win
Mali produced one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup on Saturday, defeating European powerhouse Spain 82-73 in Berlin for only the second World Cup victory in the history of the Malian women’s team.
The result was particularly remarkable given Spain’s strong start to the tournament. Spain had opened its campaign with an emphatic 83-53 victory over hosts Germany, while Mali had narrowly lost 102-97 to Japan in its opening game.
Mali trailed 34-32 at halftime, but completely changed the game after the break. The African side outscored Spain 31-19 in the third quarter, including a decisive 16-4 run after Spain had taken a 45-44 lead.
Sika Koné was central to the comeback, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Atlanta Dream forward also made history by recording her fifth consecutive double-double at the Women’s World Cup, the first player ever to achieve that feat.
Djeneba N’Diaye also scored 19 points, while Spain’s Iyana Martin led all scorers with 20 points.
Mali’s previous World Cup victory came in 2010, when they defeated fellow African side Senegal in overtime.
The latest victory therefore ends a 16-year wait for another World Cup win. It is also Mali’s first victory over a European opponent at the tournament.
The win takes Mali’s overall World Cup record to just 2-10, underlining how significant the result is for the West African side. Mali had also gone winless at the 2022 World Cup in Sydney.
The victory has also dramatically changed the picture in Group A.
After Germany defeated Japan 74-58 later on Saturday, all four teams — Mali, Spain, Germany and Japan — now have one win and one loss heading into the final group games.
That leaves Mali with a genuine chance of advancing to the knockout stage, despite entering the tournament as the lower-ranked side.
For African basketball, the victory represents another major moment on the international stage — and Mali will now look to build on its historic result when it faces Germany on Monday.
