Nigeria’s D’Tigress are awaiting the return of head coach Rena Wakama as preparations intensify for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Germany.
Wakama, who is currently in the United States fulfilling her professional commitments with WNBA side Chicago Sky, is expected to rejoin the national team ahead of the tournament, which runs from 4 to 13 September.
The Nigerian team will move to Zaragoza, Spain, for the final phase of their preparations, with warm-up matches against Mali and Puerto Rico scheduled before their departure for Berlin.
Wakama has combined her responsibilities as Nigeria’s head coach with her role as an assistant coach with the Chicago Sky. The WNBA franchise appointed her to its coaching staff in April under head coach Tyler Marsh.
D’Tigress began their World Cup preparations with a training camp in Chicago from 29 July to 2 August before travelling to China for a three-match exhibition series. They subsequently moved to Spain for further warm-up fixtures against leading European sides.
The African champions have endured a challenging build-up, recording just one victory from five preparation matches.
Nigeria suffered narrow defeats to China, losing 70-67 and 69-65, before recovering to claim an 88-77 victory in the final game of the three-match series on 12 August.
However, their latest outings in Tenerife exposed further concerns, with D’Tigress suffering an 83-58 defeat to Spain on 21 August before losing 90-55 to Belgium the following day.
The results leave Wakama and her coaching staff with areas to address as Nigeria prepare for another World Cup campaign.
D’Tigress enter the tournament as five-time defending FIBA Women’s AfroBasket champions, having defeated Mali 78-64 in the 2025 final to secure their fifth consecutive continental title.
Their recent success also includes a historic performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where they became the first African team to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympic basketball tournament.
Nigeria earned an automatic place at the 2026 World Cup after winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket. The team nevertheless took part in the World Cup qualifying tournament in Lyon-Villeurbanne, France, where they recorded three defeats in five matches.
The 2026 tournament in Germany will mark D’Tigress’ third appearance at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, following their participation in the 2006 and 2018 editions.
Nigeria’s best finish came in 2018, when they reached the quarter-finals and finished eighth overall. They will be hoping to build on that achievement when the tournament tips off in September.
