Nigeria’s D’Tigress have been eliminated from the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup after suffering a heavy 111-56 defeat to France in their final group-stage match in Berlin, Germany.
The loss was D’Tigress’ third consecutive defeat at the tournament, following earlier setbacks against South Korea and Hungary.
The result left the African champions at the bottom of their group and ended their World Cup campaign on a disappointing note.
The early exit comes after a strong run for the Nigerian team, which secured a fifth consecutive continental title and reached the Olympic quarter-finals for the first time in its history.
However, D’Tigress struggled to reproduce that form on the global stage, with their weaknesses most exposed in the heavy defeat to France.
Nigeria endured a difficult opening quarter, trailing 31-13 before France extended its lead to 65-26 by halftime.
The French side continued to dominate after the break, taking a commanding 95-36 lead into the final quarter.
D’Tigress showed some resilience in the fourth quarter but could not reduce the deficit significantly, eventually losing by 55 points.
The defeat marked Nigeria’s third appearance at the Women’s World Cup and represented a significant setback from the team’s 2018 campaign, when it reached the quarter-finals.
D’Tigress also qualified for the 2022 edition but did not participate after the Federal Government imposed a self-imposed ban on Nigeria’s national basketball teams. Mali subsequently took Nigeria’s place at the tournament.
