2026 FIBA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WORLD CUP: D’Tigress Ready To Take On The World
By Akeem Busari
Nigeria’s Senior women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress are set to begin their quest for global honours, as the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup tips off on September 4, 2026, in Berlin, Germany.
The reigning African basketball champions who are currently tenth in the FIBA world ranking are billed to begin their campaign against Korea on Friday, September 4, next would be Hungary on Saturday, September 5, and world’s number two side France, on Monday, September 7th.
In recent years, D’Tigress have established themselves as a major force in African women’s basketball, while also making a strong statement on the global stage, going ahead to make the quater-finals, at the 2024 Paris Olympic games, the first ever, by any African female or male national basketball team.
Speaking ahead of the world championship, President of Nigeria Basketball Federation, Engr. Ahmadu Musa Kida, expressed his confidence in the abilities of the girls to make the country proud, at the World Cup.
“This team is well prepared and motivated to do the nation proud. I believe the preparation programmes and games they played, have put them in good stead to perform well.
“As always, we at the NBBF, truly appreciates the strong supports from XE Jet, Adidas and our other strategic partners, for giving us the necessary support needed to prepare the team.
“This is also a statement that Nigerians, home and diaspora, would be rooting for our African queens, to make Nigeria and Africa, proud again, at the global stage,” Kida enthused.
Towards the world cup, D’Tigress went through a preparation regime that included camping in Illinois, USA, and international playing tour of China, where the Coach Rena Wakama led team, engaged host China in Haikou, in a series of friendly games.
The team continued their programme in Tenerife and Zaragoza, Spain, where it faced Spain and Belgium, as well as, Puerto Rico.
