Mali produced the first major upset of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026, stunning Spain 82-73 in Berlin on Saturday to register only its second victory in the competition’s history.

Mali, which lost 97-102 to Japan in its opening match, trailed Spain by two points at half-time before transforming the contest with a dominant third quarter.

The African side outscored Spain 31-19 in the period, including a decisive 16-4 run after trailing 44-45. Sika Kone was central to the surge, hitting two three-pointers as Mali seized control.

Kone, who plays for Atlanta Dream in the WNBA, finished with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds.

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Mali carried its momentum into the final quarter, scoring the opening five points, including another three-pointer from Kone. Spain never managed to reduce the deficit below nine points thereafter.

Djeneba N’Diaye also contributed 19 points as Mali improved its overall Women’s World Cup record to two wins in 12 matches.

Its only previous victory at the tournament came against Senegal in overtime in 2010.

Iyana Martin led Spain with 20 points, but the European powerhouse struggled to recover from Mali’s third-quarter burst as both teams moved to a 1-1 record in Group A.

Meanwhile, Germany got off to a fast start and slowed down Japan in a 74-58 win, and Dorka Juhasz had 19 points and 16 rebounds to help Hungary edge Nigeria 71-67.

Published on Sep 05, 2026