Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, have announced their final 12-player squad for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament, with the list confirmed by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
The squad features a blend of experience and emerging talent, including key players such as Ezinne Kalu, Sarah Ogoke, Amy Okonkwo, and Promise Amukamara. Others in the squad are Elizabeth Balogun, Nicole Enabosi, Victoria Macaulay, Murjanatu Musa, Pallas Kunayi-Akpanah, Rita Igbokwe, Ifunaya Okoro, and Blessing Ejiofor.
The seven-time African champions will compete in the qualifying tournament scheduled to take place in Lyon, France, from March 11 to 17. Nigeria will open their campaign against Colombia on March 11 before facing South Korea on March 12, Philippines on March 14, France on March 15, and Germany on March 17. The top three teams from the group will progress to the next stage of the competition.
Nigeria already secured qualification for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin after winning the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket. The Lyon tournament will therefore serve as an opportunity for the team to fine-tune strategies and strengthen cohesion ahead of the global competition.
Head coach Rena Wakama had earlier named a provisional roster before trimming it to the final 12 players ahead of the tournament.
In the first edition of the power rankings for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, released on Thursday, FIBA ranked Nigeria eighth in the world following their recent successes and the strength of their squad.
Nigeria have previously featured at the Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2006 in Brazil and 2018 in Spain, and will be aiming to improve on those appearances when the tournament takes place in Germany in September 2026.
Following the qualifiers in France, D’Tigress are also expected to embark on a landmark tour of the United States in April, where they will face Minnesota Lynx in a historic preseason exhibition, becoming the first African national team to take on a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) franchise as part of their preparations for the World Cup.
