Nigeria’s D’Tigress have been drawn in Group B of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup with France, South Korea, and Hungary.
The eighth-ranked Nigeria will face a competitive group widely described as highly challenging for qualification. D’Tigress will renew rivalries with France and South Korea, both of whom defeated them during the World Cup qualifiers in Lyon earlier this year.
Nigeria lost 93–86 to France and 77–60 to South Korea, in spite of securing a convincing win over Colombia between both fixtures.
The results are expected to fuel Nigeria’s determination as they prepare to meet familiar opponents on the global stage once again.
The 16-team tournament will take place in Germany from September 4th to 13th, featuring the world’s leading women’s basketball nations.
France, ranked second globally, leads Group B, with South Korea ranked 15th and Hungary 19th completing the lineup.
Hosts Germany headline Group A alongside Spain, Japan, and Mali, while Group C features Australia and Belgium in a competitive pairing.
Defending champions, the United States, top Group D, where they will face China, Italy, and Czechia in their title defence.
D’Tigress are scheduled to play high-profile friendlies against WNBA sides as part of preparations for the tournament. Nigeria aims to build on their African dominance and translate it into stronger performances on the global stage.
Meanwhile, FIBA said the expansion of the tournament reflects the growing popularity of the women’s game worldwide following what it described as the most successful edition ever in Sydney four years ago.
The ceremony also welcomed the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2026, which includes China’s Wang Zhizhi, US’ Sue Bird, Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki, France’s Celine Dumerc, Mozambique’s Clarisse Machanguana and Turkiye’s Hedo Turkoglu. Poland’s Ludwik Mietta-Mikolajewicz was inducted as a coach, while Chile’s Ismenia Pauchard was honored posthumously.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ceremony, Wang said he was delighted to receive the honor from FIBA.
“I am very happy to receive this honor awarded by FIBA. It is a recognition of my career,” Wang said. I hope more young people will fall in love with basketball, and I also hope Chinese basketball will continue to improve.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
