Nigeria began the tournament with a 99-81 defeat to South Korea before losing 71-67 to Hungary, leaving the team needing a victory against France to keep their campaign alive.
By Frank Ulom
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Published on September 10, 2026
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6 min read
Nigeria’s D’Tigress have been eliminated from the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup after suffering a heavy 111-56 defeat to France in their final Group B match on Monday.
The loss completed a disappointing campaign for the African champions, who finished bottom of the group with three defeats from three matches.
Nigeria began the tournament with a 99-81 defeat to South Korea before losing 71-67 to Hungary, leaving the team needing a victory against France to keep their campaign alive.
However, France quickly established its dominance, racing into a 31-13 lead after the opening quarter and extending the advantage to 65-26 by half-time.
D’Tigress scored only 13 points in each of the first three quarters and finished the game shooting 28 per cent from the field. France, meanwhile, shot 58 per cent and set a tournament record with 22 three-pointers.
Gabby Williams led France with 25 points, while Janelle Salaun added 19 and Marine Johannes scored 17.
Nigeria head coach Rena Wakama said the result reflected the rebuilding process currently taking place within the team, insisting that the present squad could not yet be compared with the side that reached the Olympic quarter-finals in Paris two years ago.
“For us, it’s tough because a lot of people saw what we did in 2024, and the reality of where we are today is that we’re in a rebuilding process,” Wakama said.
“Connectivity is a big thing for myself, my team, my staff. So, where we are today isn’t where we were two years ago. And I had to explain that to my team.”
Wakama also praised France while acknowledging the gulf between the two teams.
“Huge credit to France. They are a phenomenal team. A lot of those players are in playoff shape. They play in the WNBA. And my players, we just weren’t there yet to be able to compete at the level that they were competing at,” she said.
The defeat marked a significant reversal from Nigeria’s historic performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Wakama led D’Tigress to victories over Australia and Canada.
That run made Nigeria the first African basketball team, male or female, to reach an Olympic quarter-final.
D’Tigress had also made history at the 2018 Women’s World Cup in Tenerife, becoming the first African team to reach the quarter-finals of the competition after defeating Greece 57-56.
Nigeria qualified for the 2022 Women’s World Cup but did not participate after the Nigerian government withdrew the country’s national basketball teams from international competitions.
At this year’s tournament, Nigeria struggled to build momentum from their opening game.
South Korea defeated D’Tigress 99-81, despite Nigeria remaining within three points at half-time. South Korea pulled away in the final two quarters, outscoring Nigeria 51-36.
Amy Okonkwo led Nigeria with 22 points in that game.
Against Hungary, Nigeria again found themselves playing catch-up after trailing 21-13 at the end of the first quarter. Dorka Juhasz produced 19 points and 16 rebounds as Hungary held on for a 71-67 victory despite Nigeria scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter.
Wakama said Nigeria’s preparation for the tournament had been extensive but acknowledged that the team needed to raise its level further.
D’Tigress held a training camp in Chicago, played games against WNBA teams and faced China three times before completing their preparations in Europe.
“We had a great preparation, but I think there’s another level that we have to get to in that preparation,” Wakama said.
She also credited the Nigeria Basketball Federation for supporting the team’s participation.
“Huge credit to the NBBF for supporting us and giving us an opportunity to be here, but I know in my mind there is another level we have to get to.”
Okonkwo, who had been Nigeria’s leading scorer in the first two games, struggled against France, scoring just three points after missing all eight of her field-goal attempts. She also recorded eight rebounds and three assists.
“It was a tough game,” Okonkwo said.
“France is a great team. We saw it at the 2024 Olympics. We’ve seen it every qualifier. They are a really great team, and they really came out to play today.”
She added that Nigeria struggled to establish its rhythm early in the game.
“I think we just struggled to find our rhythm early and we were unable to get the win today or really stop them,” she said.
France’s dominance over Nigeria has continued across recent meetings. Les Bleues defeated D’Tigress 75-54 during the group stage of the Paris Olympics and won 93-86 when the teams met in the World Cup qualifying tournament in Villeurbanne in March.
Despite the early exit, Wakama identified the performances of Nigeria’s younger players as one of the positives from the tournament.
She said five or six young players in the squad had never competed at such a level before, with some having only recently graduated from college.
Grace Efosa-Aguebor emerged as one of the standout performers against France, scoring 15 points in just over 20 minutes.
Efosa-Aguebor shot four of seven from the field, including two of four from three-point range, and converted five of six free throws to lead Nigeria’s scoring.
“I’m the most proud of our fight,” Wakama said.
“When you have a new team, and I have so many young players, I think I have about five or six young players on this team that have never been at this stage before, some that just graduated college.”
Wakama added that the experience could help shape the future of D’Tigress.
“Grace Efosa played about 20 minutes. She came on and gave us 15 points. Miriam, these are names you guys will hear in the future. But I threw my young ones in the fire, and they responded for me. So I’m super proud of that.”
Nigeria therefore leave Berlin with an 0-3 record and bottom place in Group B, bringing a winless World Cup campaign to an abrupt end.
For Wakama, however, the focus is now on developing a new generation capable of restoring D’Tigress to the heights reached in Paris.
“We can’t rely on two years ago’s success,” she said.
“So who we are today, we’re still figuring that out. And I know we will.”
