Nigeria’s D’Tigress have suffered an early exit from the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup after France’s 95-69 demolition of South Korea confirmed the African champions elimination from Group B, Trybal News reports.
Nigeria’s fate was sealed by the result in Berlin, with France maintaining a perfect start to the group stage and South Korea moving beyond D’Tigress’ reach in the race for qualification.
The development means Nigeria’s final group game against France will now be a dead rubber in terms of qualification. Regardless of the result, D’Tigress cannot finish high enough in the group to secure a place in the knockout phase.
The elimination is a significant setback for Rena Wakama’s side, who entered the tournament with expectations of making another deep run on the world stage after years of establishing themselves as Africa’s leading women’s basketball nation.
Nigeria’s best-ever performance at the competition came in 2018, when D’Tigress reached the quarter-finals in Tenerife. They will now be unable to replicate that achievement in Berlin.
The tournament format sees group winners advance directly to the quarter-finals, while second- and third-placed teams battle through a play-in round for the remaining quarter-final spots. The bottom team in each group is eliminated.
D’Tigress campaign has therefore fallen short of its intended target, with the team apologising to Nigerians following their disappointing performances.
Attention will now turn to their final assignment against France, where Wakama’s team will attempt to salvage some pride and close their World Cup campaign on a positive note.
For a team that has continued to dominate the African game, the early elimination will serve as a frustrating reminder of the gap Nigeria still has to bridge against the world’s elite.
