Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, will face WNBA side Indiana Fever in an international exhibition game on Saturday, 2 May 2026.
The latest fixture, confirmed by both Nigeria and the WNBA franchise on Thursday, will take place on May 2, 2026, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, adding another major test for the African champions during their tour.
Team Nigeria’s national basketball team made the announcement on X while highlighting the sequence of fixtures across multiple cities.
“We weren’t done. First San Diego. Then Kansas City. Now Indianapolis. D’Tigress vs Indiana Fever, 05.02.26, 7PM EST, Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The tour continues,” they wrote.
The Indiana Fever also confirmed the development on their website, explaining that the fixture forms part of their preseason build-up while acknowledging Nigeria’s growing stature in global basketball.
“The Indiana Fever has announced an addition to the team’s 2026 preseason schedule, adding a game against the Nigeria Women’s National Team on Saturday, May 2 at 7 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse,” the club said.
D’Tigress had earlier confirmed other major fixtures in the United States, beginning with a historic meeting against the Los Angeles Sparks in San Diego on April 25, which will mark the first time an African national team faces a WNBA side.
That will be followed by another exhibition against the Minnesota Lynx in Kansas City on April 27, making the Indiana Fever clash the third confirmed game of the tour.
The expanding schedule reflects a deliberate strategy by the Nigeria Basketball Federation to expose the team to top-level opposition as part of their preparations for the global showpiece in Berlin, scheduled for September 4 to 13, 2025.
The tour had been approved as part of broader international engagements aimed at strengthening the team ahead of a demanding calendar year.
D’Tigress head into the tour as reigning African champions, having secured a record fifth consecutive AfroBasket title in 2025, a triumph that guaranteed their qualification for the World Cup.
Although they endured mixed results during the qualifying series in March, with wins over Colombia and the Philippines alongside defeats to South Korea, France and Germany, those matches served primarily as preparatory outings rather than decisive contests.
With the addition of the Indiana Fever fixture, Nigeria’s tour now spans three cities and multiple elite opponents, offering the world’s number eight ranked team a rare opportunity to test themselves against some of the best talents in women’s basketball.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
