D’Tigress Announce Final Squad for 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers
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Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, has unveiled its final 12-player roster for the upcoming FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2026, confirmed by FIBA on March 5, 2026.
The seven-time African champions will compete in Lyon, France, from March 11 to 17, facing Colombia (March 11), South Korea (March 12), the Philippines (March 14), hosts France (March 15), and Germany (March 17). The top three teams from the group will advance to the next stage.
Having already secured automatic qualification for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin by winning the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket in Ivory Coast, the D’Tigress will use the Lyon tournament to sharpen strategies and build team cohesion ahead of the global event.
The final squad blends experienced campaigners and dynamic talent. Key players include Ezinne Kalu, Sarah Ogoke, Amy Okonkwo, Promise Amukamara, Elizabeth Balogun, Nicole Enabosi, Victoria Macaulay, Murjanatu Musa, Pallas Kunayi-Akpanah, Rita Igbokwe, Ifunaya Okoro, and Blessing Ejiofor.
Head coach Rena Wakama retained most of the players who won Nigeria’s fifth consecutive AfroBasket title, combining experienced veterans with rising stars.
D’Tigress have previously competed at the World Cup in 2006 (Brazil) and 2018 (Spain), and they aim to build on those experiences for the tournament in Germany in September. After the qualifiers in France, the team will travel to the United States in April to play the Minnesota Lynx in a preseason exhibition, the first time an African national team will face a WNBA team.
