Nigeria’s D’Tigress have exited the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup following a heavy 111-56 defeat to France in their final Group B fixture in Berlin, Trybal News reports.
The African champions struggled to match France’s intensity from the outset, with the European side taking control early and steadily extending their advantage as the game progressed.
Grace Efosa-Aguebor led Nigeria’s scoring with 15 points, while Rita Igbokwe finished with a team-high nine rebounds. Captain Amy Okonkwo also registered three assists for D’Tigress.
France were led by Gabby Williams, who produced a commanding display with 25 points, while Pauline Astier provided five assists as the French side maintained their dominance throughout the contest.
The 55-point defeat marked Nigeria’s third consecutive loss at the tournament and their heaviest defeat of the group stage.
D’Tigress had opened their campaign with an 81-99 loss to South Korea before suffering a narrow 67-71 defeat to Hungary, leaving the five-time reigning African champions without a win from their three Group B matches.
The result brings a disappointing end to Nigeria’s return to the World Cup after missing the 2022 edition. D’Tigress had previously enjoyed a historic run to the quarter-finals at the 2018 tournament, where they finished eighth overall.
Despite their continued dominance in African basketball, having won the last five editions of the Women’s Afrobasket, Nigeria were unable to translate that form onto the global stage in Berlin.
France, meanwhile, advanced to the knockout phase after completing the group stage with a perfect three wins from three matches.
