Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, will begin their campaign at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2026 with a match against Colombia women’s national basketball team on Wednesday in Villeurbanne, France.
The game will take place at the Astroballe, with tip-off scheduled for 2pm local time. The seven-time African champions are set to play five matches during the tournament, which runs from March 11 to 17.
The Nigerian team arrived in France on Monday and quickly began preparations under head coach Rena Wakama, holding their first training session shortly after landing.
Team captain Amy Okonkwo leads a 12-player squad that also includes Ezinne Kalu, Promise Amukamara, Sarah Ogoke, and Elizabeth Balogun. Other players in the squad are Ifunanya Okoro, Murjanatu Musa, Blessing Ejiofor, Nicole Enabosi, Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah, Victoria Macaulay and Rita Igbokwe.
Although Nigeria have already qualified for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 after winning the Women’s AfroBasket 2025, the qualifying tournament will serve as important preparation for the global competition scheduled to take place in Berlin from September 4 to 13.
Speaking ahead of the opening match, Wakama said the team had trained with intensity and focus. She explained that the tournament offers an opportunity for the squad to test themselves against strong opposition and evaluate their readiness ahead of the World Cup.
According to the coach, the squad was carefully selected to maintain a balance between experienced players and younger talents who can bring energy and competitiveness to the team. She added that the team is working on faster transitions, stronger defensive communication and improved chemistry on the court.
Wakama also stressed that representing Nigeria remains a major motivation for the players, adding that the team is determined to make their supporters proud with strong performances in France.
Colombia head into the tournament as one of three teams making their debut at the qualifiers, alongside Germany and the Philippines, while France are the only team in the group that featured at the 2022 World Cup.
Nigeria previously made history at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018 in Tenerife, Spain, when they became the first African team to progress beyond the group stage. The team will hope the tournament in France provides valuable preparation as they build towards another appearance on the global stage next year.
