Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, have begun training in France ahead of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2026, which starts on Wednesday in Lyon.
The seven-time African champions arrived in Villeurbanne, Lyon, on Monday for the tournament scheduled to take place from 11 to 17 March, with the team confirming their arrival through a video shared on their official social media platforms.
Clips posted by the team on Instagram on Monday showed the squad taking part in their first training session as well as a gym workout, marking the start of their preparations for Wednesday’s opening match against Colombia.
All 12 players selected for the competition travelled to France alongside head coach Rena Wakama and her assistants.
Wakama recently concluded coaching duties with Hive Basketball Club in the 3×3 Unrivalled League before linking up with the national team for the tournament.
Although Nigeria have already secured qualification for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 in Berlin after winning the Women’s AfroBasket 2025, the qualifiers will serve as further preparation for the global tournament scheduled to take place in Germany from 4 to 13 September.
D’Tigress will open their campaign against Colombia on Wednesday before facing South Korea on 12 March, the Philippines on 14 March, hosts France on 15 March and Germany on 17 March.
The squad includes several experienced players expected to play leading roles during the competition, including guards Ezinne Kalu and Promise Amukamara, as well as team captain Amy Okonkwo. Other members of the team include Sarah Ogoke, Elizabeth Balogun, Nicole Enabosi, Victoria Macaulay, Murjanatu Musa, Pallas Kunayi-Akpanah, Rita Igbokwe, Ifunaya Okoro and Blessing Ejiofor.
Videos circulating from the team’s camp showed the players in high spirits as they continued their preparations with shooting drills and conditioning sessions.
Nigeria will be aiming to maintain the strong momentum that has seen them rise in international rankings. In its first power rankings for the 2026 World Cup released recently, the FIBA placed the African champions eighth in the world based on their recent achievements and the depth of their squad.
D’Tigress previously made history at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018 in Tenerife, Spain, becoming the first African team to progress from the group stage after defeating Turkey and Argentina.
The team has featured at the global tournament twice before, first in 2006 in Brazil and again in 2018, and will be hoping to build on those performances when the competition takes place in Berlin next year.
Following the qualifiers in France, the team is also scheduled to travel to the United States in April for a historic preseason exhibition against Minnesota Lynx, becoming the first African national team to face a WNBA franchise as part of their preparations for the World Cup.
