Beautiful and impossible. The song rang around the arena as Italy pushed the USA to the brink, its title providing an unlikely soundtrack to a team that, not long ago, was simply trying to find its way back onto the biggest stage.
Three years ago, Italy were eliminated in the group stage of EuroBasket Women 2023. Now, back at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup for the first time in 32 years, they have pushed the reigning champions to the final possession.
That is a very different place from where Italian basketball found itself three years ago. There was always talent. What had been missing was the ability to consistently turn that talent into something greater.
From the Eurobasket podium to pushing USA to the brink
Something changed in Bologna when the team picked up the Bronze medal at the 2025 Women's EuroBasket, and they have now used this stage to continue building on that. That evolution has been central to the work of the coaching staff, whose emphasis has been less on chasing results and more on realising the team's full potential.
“I am happy, not because we win games,” the coach said. “I am happy when the players truly perform at the highest level they are capable of,” said coach Andrea Capobianco. “Our job as coaches is to get every single player to perform at the highest possible level. That is what I have always dreamed of since I started coaching. The result is a consequence of the way you play.”
Against the USA, that philosophy was tested against the deepest talent pool in the tournament. Italy knew they could not allow the Americans to dictate the game. So they changed pace, mixed defensive approaches and tried to make the USA uncomfortable.
“We learned to share the ball and to move a bit more,” Keys shared about what got the momentum rolling for them in the USA game.
“We absolutely wanted to disrupt the United States’ rhythm,” Capobianco said. “We know very well that if they dictate the pace, they are an incredible team, on another planet.”
For long stretches, Italy succeeded. The players rotated, helped one another and defended with the kind of discipline required to stay within touching distance. When they did lose concentration, the USA punished them.
“We learned that we can play with anybody,” Jasmine Keys said. “Yes, they are the champions, and we can play with anybody.”
For a team playing its first World Cup in three decades, there was also something remarkable about how quickly it settled into the occasion. The nerves were understandable. Some of these players are in the prime of their careers, but a World Cup is still new territory.
“I think the fact that we don’t expect stuff maybe helps us because we are just here to play basketball, show how we play basketball, and it is working,” Keys said.
Other teams are taking notice
Following the team's success, several competitors in the tournament praised the effort Italy put forth against the USA. They watched from their hotels, just like the rest of the world, holding their breath to see if Italy could achieve what would have been the biggest upset of the century.
Belgium's Julie Vanloo expressed her thoughts on the match and shared her beliefs about the team's future trajectory.
“I have been telling Ceci [Cecilia Zandalasini] and the Italian national team when they came to play friendly games that they are going on the up,” Vanloo said. “A bit like Belgium. We started with a bronze medal and then just went upwards and they are doing that.”
The significance of Italy’s performance against the USA, she believes, is that it makes their first World Cup win feel less like an isolated moment.
Having a close game against the USA shows that they are building something
Italy's 13th man
Italian supporters have flocked to Berlin, marking a significant moment for a women’s national team returning to the World Cup after 32 years. Following their victory over Czechia, the players invited fans to their hotel for a meet-and-greet, surprisingly attracting around 300 supporters.
This event was not only historic but also highlighted the deeper connection between the team and a generation of fans, giving them something to rally around as Italy rediscover their identity.
“I think these girls have shown in every game that they can play at an unbelievable level, every single one of them,” he said. “This is a paragraph in a wonderful chapter called the women’s national team.”
It was difficult for the team to recover emotionally and physically from the USA game. They paid a heavy price against China. But now, it's a new tournament, with the knockout rounds beginning.
With a chance to make the quarter-finals, Italy is ready to continue showing the world how the impossible can start to become beautiful.
FIBA