Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, lost 93–86 to France women's national basketball team in a hard-fought game at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament in Villeurbanne, France.
The hosts built an early lead and managed to hold on despite a strong comeback attempt by the African champions. Nigeria pushed hard in the second half and briefly reduced the gap to just two points, but France stayed calm and protected their advantage in the closing minutes.
Veteran guard Ezinne Kalu helped spark Nigeria’s fightback.
She scored eight quick points during a key stretch that gave D’Tigress momentum and excited fans in the arena.
However, France responded when Marine Johannes hit a three-point shot after a missed Nigerian attempt.
As the match continued, both teams tightened their defense and scoring became more difficult.
Nigeria tried several times to close the gap, but they were unable to take the lead.
France eventually secured the 93–86 win to maintain their unbeaten run in the tournament.
France forward Janelle Salaun led the game with 19 points, while Nigeria’s Elizabeth Balogun scored 18 points for D’Tigress.
Nigeria came into the match with mixed results in the competition.
The team earlier defeated Colombia women's national basketball team 70–37 and beat the Philippines women's national basketball team 101–84, but lost to South Korea women's national basketball team.
Despite the defeat, Nigeria has already secured a place at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 in Berlin, Germany, after winning the 2025 AfroBasket title.
The qualifiers now serve as preparation for the global tournament later this year.
