NIGERIA’s D’Tigress have been eliminated from the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup after suffering a crushing 111-56 defeat to France in their final Group B game in Berlin, Germany.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that the result condemned the African champions to a third consecutive defeat at the tournament, following earlier losses to South Korea and Hungary, leaving Nigeria at the bottom of the group and bringing their World Cup campaign to a disappointing end.
The defeat, which came after a remarkable period for the Nigerian side, represents a major setback for D’Tigress, who had won a fifth consecutive continental title and reached the Olympic quarter-finals for the first time in their history. However, that impressive form failed to translate to the global stage as the team struggled throughout the tournament, with their shortcomings exposed most severely against France.
Nigeria endured a disastrous opening quarter, falling 31-13 behind as France immediately took control of the contest. The French side then extended its advantage to 65-26 by halftime, leaving D’Tigress with a mountain to climb after the opening two quarters.
The gap widened further in the third quarter, with France outscoring Nigeria 30-13 to take a commanding 95-36 lead into the final period. D’Tigress showed some fight in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 points, but could do little to alter the outcome as France added 16 points to complete a 55-point victory.
The defeat marked Nigeria’s third appearance at the Women’s World Cup and represented a major setback from their run in the 2018 edition, when D’Tigress reached the quarter-finals.
D’Tigress had also qualified for the 2022 tournament but did not participate after the Federal Government imposed a self-imposed ban on the country’s national basketball teams, with Mali taking Nigeria’s place.
Despite the disappointing World Cup outing, the Nigerian side came into the tournament as reigning African champions after securing a fifth consecutive continental crown and had also made history by reaching the Olympic quarter-finals for the first time at the 2024 Paris Games.
The heavy defeat to France, however, brought a difficult campaign in Berlin to a premature end, with D’Tigress finishing the group stage without a victory.
