The USA carried a healthy lead into the halfway mark, boosted by strong vault and uneven bars routines from Skye Blakely, the only holdover from the 2023 champion quintet. But errors on the balance beam proved costly. Eighteen-year-old Caylor Dulcy stumbled to a score of 12.333, and the Americans were outscored by more than four points on the apparatus by China.
Zhang Qingying, who topped beam qualifying, delivered a sparkling performance earning 15.066 points. China were then put under pressure on the floor, but Qiu held her nerve to secure the gold.
Simone Biles, the 23-time world champion who won three golds at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is taking a break from the sport and did not compete.
The last time the USA failed to win gold was in 2010, when they were beaten by Russia. The championships continue on Thursday with the men's all-around title, where Japan's Daiki Hashimoto defends his crown against Olympic champion Shinnosuke Oka.