D’Tigress Storm Berlin Ahead Of 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup

Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, have arrived in Berlin, Germany, as they intensify preparations for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, which is scheduled to begin on Friday.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the five-time African champions received a warm welcome from Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Ambassador Ita Enang, alongside officials of the Nigerian diplomatic mission in Berlin.

The team travelled to the German capital after concluding their final training camp in Zaragoza, Spain, where head coach Rena Wakama and her players worked on their tactics and overall readiness for the global tournament.

During the Zaragoza camp, D’Tigress featured in warm-up matches against Mali and Puerto Rico as part of their final preparations. The camp marked the latest stage of an extensive build-up programme that had earlier taken the team to the United States, China and Tenerife in Spain for training sessions and friendly encounters.

Wakama’s squad will now use their remaining time in Berlin to complete preparations before officially launching their World Cup campaign.

Nigeria have been drawn in Group B alongside South Korea, Hungary and France. D’Tigress will begin their tournament against South Korea on Friday, followed by a clash with Hungary on Saturday. Their final group-stage fixture will be against France on Monday.

The Nigerian side enter the competition as reigning African champions after defeating Mali 78-64 in the final of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

D’Tigress also carry the experience of making African basketball history at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they became the first African basketball team to advance to the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games.

Nigeria’s strongest performance at the Women’s Basketball World Cup came in 2018, when D’Tigress reached the quarter-finals before finishing in eighth position. The team will now hope to surpass that achievement as they begin their latest quest for global glory.