Nigeria’s D’Tigress have been eliminated from the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup after suffering a heavy 111-56 defeat to France in their final group-stage game in Berlin, Germany.
The result condemned the reigning African champions to a third consecutive defeat at the tournament, following earlier losses to South Korea and Hungary. Nigeria finished bottom of the group, bringing their World Cup campaign to a disappointing end.
The defeat comes after a remarkable period for D’Tigress, who won a fifth consecutive continental title and reached the Olympic quarter-finals for the first time in their history at the Paris 2024 Games.
However, that impressive form failed to translate to the global stage, as Nigeria struggled throughout the tournament, with their shortcomings exposed most severely against France.
D’Tigress endured a disastrous opening quarter, falling 31-13 behind before France extended their advantage to 65-26 by halftime.
The gap widened further in the third quarter, with France taking a commanding 95-36 lead into the final period.
Nigeria showed some fight in the fourth quarter but could do little to alter the outcome, eventually losing by 55 points.
The defeat marked Nigeria’s third appearance at the Women’s World Cup and represented a major setback from their 2018 campaign, when D’Tigress reached the quarter-finals.
Nigeria had also qualified for the 2022 tournament but did not participate after the Federal Government imposed a ban on the country’s national basketball teams. Mali subsequently took Nigeria’s place at the tournament.
