Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, Nigeria women’s national basketball team, will face hosts France women’s national basketball team today in a key match of the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualification tournaments.
The encounter will take place at the Astroballe Arena.
The qualifying tournament is part of the preparations for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, which will be held in Berlin, Germany from 4 to 13 September 2026.
Nigeria have already secured their place at the World Cup after winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket. The current competition therefore gives the African champions the chance to test themselves against strong international teams and improve their global ranking.
D’Tigress go into the match with two wins and one defeat from their first three games. They began their campaign with a convincing 70–37 victory over Colombia women’s national basketball team before losing 77–60 to South Korea women’s national basketball team.
The Nigerian side bounced back strongly in their last game, beating the Philippines women’s national basketball team 101–84 after coming from behind at half-time. The result showed the team’s strong attacking ability as they scored more than 100 points for the first time in the tournament.
The team is led by head coach Rena Wakama, who made history as the first woman to coach Nigeria’s senior women’s national basketball team. Under her leadership, D’Tigress won the AfroBasket title and also reached the quarter-finals of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Today’s game is expected to be Nigeria’s toughest test so far, with France regarded as one of Europe’s strongest basketball nations and the host of the qualifying tournament.
