World Cup Champs: 2 ATL Dream Stars Win Gold Medals At FIBA

Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard and forward Angel Reese are bringing home the gold after Team USA secured their fifth consecutive title.

By Amanda Lumpkin, Patch Staff

Sep 14, 2026 1:25 PM EDT | Updated Sep 14, 2026 1:49 PM EDT

United States team stands on the podium after winning the Women's Basketball World Cup final match between the United States and France in Berlin, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo)

BERLIN, GERMANY — Two Atlanta Dream stars are FIBA Women's World Cup champions for the first time.

Guard Rhyne Howard and forward Angel Reese are bringing home the gold after Team USA secured their fifth consecutive title (12th overall) Sunday at the 2026 tournament in Berlin, Germany.

The Dream standouts were joined by 10 other WNBA superstars to defeat France, 97-79. USA came back from an early deficit to stamp their victory.

The team perfectly barreled through China, Italy, Czechia and Spain to punch their ticket to the final and remain undefeated.

Rhyne Howard plays during the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Final game between the United States and France in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 13, 2026. (Marcin Golba/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

Reese and Howard were among eight players to make their senior World Cup debut. Others were Aliyah Boston, Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen.

The tournament was also the first time Reese, Boston, Bueckers and Clark appeared at a major international contest for USA, including the World Cup or Olympics.

This was the first time the Dream has had two players to represent its team in the World Cup, Dream head coach Carl Smesko told his team when he announced the selections this summer.

Reese, the WNBA's leading rebounder, on Monday reacted to her latest feat in an Instagram post.

"Thank you God, every dream came true, Not on my time, but the time You knew," she wrote. "Came for one thing, I'm leaving with Gold, Keep writing me off, that story gets old. Back to the A, got more to unfold— Dreamers here we come, we got a lot more goals."

Angel Reese, of the United States, left, and Caitlin Clark of the United States, touch hands during the Women's Basketball World Cup final match between the United States and France in Berlin, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Howard and Reese will return stateside to help the Dream push through their last five games of the regular season before the 2026 WNBA Playoffs.

With a 26-14 win-loss record, the Dream presently fills the fourth seed in the WNBA rankings.

The Dream's regular season will pick back up on Sept. 17 with a battle against the Connecticut Sun (10-30).

They will also take on the New York Liberty twice, as well as the Chicago Sky, to close out the regular season. In their bout with the Liberty, they will face their World Cup teammate and MVP Breanna Stewart.

The WNBA recently released the playoff schedule. The first round will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, and will be televised on ABC.