Nigeria’s D’Tigress have opened their 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign against South Korea in Berlin, Germany, with a 99 – 81 loss.
The Group B game was played at the Berlin Arena as Nigeria took part in its third appearance at the World Cup after outings in 2006 and 2018.
D’Tigress arrived as reigning African champions after winning a fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s AfroBasket title in 2025.
They also made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics by becoming the first African team to reach the women’s basketball quarterfinals.
Nigeria’s best World Cup performance came in 2018, when the team reached the quarterfinals and finished eighth.
The team missed the 2022 tournament before returning to the global stage this year.
South Korea, however, presented a familiar challenge.
The Koreans defeated Nigeria 77 - 60 during the World Cup qualifying tournament in France earlier this year.
Nigeria had won the previous two meetings, including a 70 - 69 victory in 2016 and a 68 - 64 Olympic win in 2004.
The team from Asia won three of the four quarters with careful, precise play, just like they did during the qualifying tournament in France.
D’Tigress put in a good shift, winning the most rebounds game while having a good points spread across the team.
However, coach Rena Wakama’s squad was not strong enough to overpower the Asians on the scoreboard, giving them an extra hurdle to cross in the fast-paced tournament.
Nigeria will face Hungary on Saturday before completing its group-stage campaign against France on Monday.
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