Nigeria’s D’Tigress at the FIBA Women’s World Cup 2026 in Berlin; continues Africa’s rise on world stage
Basketball: Nigeria at FIBA Women’s World Cup 2026 - can D’Tigress take the next step on the road to greatness?
Basketball: Nigeria at FIBA Women’s World Cup 2026 - can D’Tigress take the next step on the road to greatness?
After making history in Spain 2018 and at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Berlin 2026 is now in Nigeria’s sights to go even further on the global stage.
It’s been six years since Nigeria were a point down to Greece with 3.2 seconds left on the clock.
With an historic FIBA Women’s World Cup quarter-final spot a breath away, a foul and two free throws swept Nigeria into the last eight: 57-56 at the buzzer; the first African team to reach the last eight of the women’s tournament .
“That game was so emotional; we cried, we screamed,” smiles a reflective Ezinne Kalu to FIBA . The 34-year-old was the beating heart of D’Tigress in Spain 2018 and has remained central to their rise ever since.
“I don’t think anyone knew we were going to win that game. Playing against European teams is not always easy. Things are very different; the athletes are different. That was a huge thing, not just for Nigeria, but Africa in general.
“So to be the first women’s team to beat a top team like Greece was like, ‘Wow, OK. Now everybody’s looking. What’s going to happen next? How can they reach another level?’”
With every opportunity since, Nigeria have shown just how high those levels can go.
Two years later, they qualified for Tokyo 2020 held in 2021 , their first Olympic appearance in 16 years.
The following Olympic cycle was even more special, as they became the first African team in history – men’s or women’s – to reach the quarter-finals of an Olympic basketball tournament .
From World Cup breakthrough in 2018 to Olympic folklore at Paris 2024 , D’Tigress have soared over the past decade.
But with a new generation of global challengers to the USA’s basketball throne, can Nigeria follow up their historic feats this World Cup, in Germany?
“Nigeria will get a medal!” Kalu laughs. “You heard it here first.”
“USA is the face of the world, Nigeria is the face of Africa ”
It’s been just two decades since Nigeria’s women’s team first arrived on the global basketball scene.
They made their Olympic debut at Athens 2004, followed by their FIBA Women’s World Cup debut two years later – 36 years after African teams were first granted World Cup berths.
They failed to progress beyond the opening stages of either tournament, and it would be another 12 years before the world saw them at the World Cup again.
In 2017, Nigeria entered the African championship – which doubles as a World Cup qualifier for the winners – ranked as the sixth-best team on the continent.
They swept to the title for the first time in more than a decade, booking their place at Spain 2018.
They haven’t relinquished their continental crown since, defending it four times in a row.
As Kalu puts it: “USA is the face of the world, Nigeria is the face of Africa .”
They were knocked out in the next round of the 2018 World Cup by a dynastic USA team on its way to a third consecutive world title, but D’Tigress had made their point.
When Nigeria withdrew from their place at Sydney 2022, their next major international stage would instead be the Paris 2024 Games.
History suggested they had little hope. Their Olympic record in qualifying before Paris stood at 1-37.
Nigeria overwhelmed former world champions and eventual Olympic bronze medallists Australia, producing a statement 75-62 victory.
A second-game defeat by France followed, although D’Tigress held their own for much of the contest against the hosts, who were later within centimetres of winning the whole tournament.
Then came Canada – and another chapter in Nigerian basketball history.
After trailing during an 11-0 run, D’Tigress turned the game around in the third quarter and held on until the buzzer to seal another historic moment .
D’Tigress became the first African basketball team to reach the Olympic knockout stages.
Two years on, another international stage awaits in Berlin, with stars including Kalu – who topped Nigeria’s scoring in Paris – and head coach Rena Wakama returning to lead the charge.
The stars that could lift Nigeria in Berlin 2026
Nigeria’s leading light in Paris 2024, Kalu remains the heartbeat of D’Tigress two years on at 34.
She scored 21 points to inspire their historic victory over Canada, and has been central to Nigeria’s resurgence ever since making her senior debut in 2018.
A proven performer across Europe, with a brief WNBA stint with the Atlanta Dream in 2024 before moving to China’s Zhejiang Golden Bulls, her greatest value comes in controlling the tempo, and providing the emotional spark Nigeria need in the biggest moments.
Ezinne Kalu of Nigeria celebrates victory after their Women’s Group Phase - Group match against Canada and on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Pierre Mauroy Stadium on 4 August 2024 in Lille, France.
Elsewhere on the court, Nigeria’s captain is two-time Olympian and three-time AfroBasket champion Amy Okonkwo . The 30-year-old forward has been named MVP at the last two editions of the African championship and now heads to Berlin after signing with the WNBA’s Portland Fire , following impressive spells with Dallas Wings and Atlanta Dream.
Another primary player for Nigeria will be Victory Macauley , making her World Cup debut at 36 years old. She recorded over 12 points a game in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and led her country’s scoring tally in the qualifying tournament earlier this year to land her in the All-Star Five.
Nigeria women’s basketball team, Olympic Games Paris 2024
Nigeria’s fixtures at the FIBA Women’s World Cup 2026
Friday 4 September - Korea v Nigeria (13:30 local time
Saturday 5 September - Nigeria v Hungary (13:15 local time
Monday 7 September - Nigeria v France (13:30 local time
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 27: Ezinne Kalu #23 of Nigeria shoots as Jaylyn Sherrod #00 of the Minnesota Lynx defends during the preseason game at T-Mobile Center on April 27, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire
Picture by Photo by Luciano Lima
Basketball | Women´s World Cup | Berlin | Germany
Picture by Photo by Jamie Squire