Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, has begun training in France ahead of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2026, which kicks off on Wednesday 11th of March in Lyon.
The seven-time African champions arrived in Villeurbanne, Lyon on Monday, with the team confirming their arrival through videos shared on their official social media platforms showing the squad taking part in their first training session and a gym workout.
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.
D’Tigress will open their campaign against Colombia on Wednesday before facing South Korea on March 12, the Philippines on March 14, hosts France on March 15, and Germany on March 17.
Although D’tigress 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 September 4 to 13.
The squad boasts of several experienced players expected to play leading roles, including guards Ezinne Kalu and Promise Amukamara, as well as team captain Amy Okonkwo. Other notable members of the squad include Sarah Ogoke, Elizabeth Balogun, Nicole Enabosi, Victoria Macaulay, Murjanatu Musa, Pallas Kunayi-Akpanah, Rita Igbokwe, Ifunaya Okoro, and Blessing Ejiofor.
In its first power rankings for the 2026 World Cup, FIBA placed the African champions eighth in the world. D’Tigress previously made history at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018 in Tenerife, becoming the first African team to progress from the group stage after defeating Turkey and Argentina.
Following the qualifiers in France, the team is also scheduled to travel to the United States in April for a historic preseason exhibition against the Minnesota Lynx, becoming the first African national team to face a WNBA franchise as part of their World Cup preparations.