Nigeria’s D’Tigress will be looking to end their 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign on a positive note when they face France in their final Group B game on Monday (today).
The Nigerian women have already been eliminated from the competition following defeats in their opening two matches.
D’Tigress began their campaign with a 99-81 loss to South Korea before suffering a narrow 71-67 defeat to Hungary on Saturday, bringing their hopes of progressing from the group to an end.
The encounter with France will therefore be an opportunity for the reigning African champions to bow out with a victory and restore some pride after a disappointing start to the tournament.
However, the team’s campaign has also raised concerns over their preparations, particularly the limited involvement of head coach Rena Wakama in the build-up to the World Cup.
Wakama disclosed in an interview before the tournament that she only learnt a few days before leaving the United States that she would be travelling to Berlin for the competition.
At the time, she had been spending part of the period with WNBA side Chicago Sky.
Her late arrival meant she joined D’Tigress only four days before their opening World Cup game, after the team had already completed significant portions of its preparations in the United States, China and Spain.
Wakama’s absence had started earlier in the preparation period.
In April, the Nigeria Basketball Federation announced that she would miss the team’s United States tour because of her Chicago Sky commitments, with assistant coach Wani Muganguzi taking charge during the trip.
Muganguzi subsequently led D’Tigress in warm-up games against WNBA teams Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx.
D’Tigress lost 89-63 to the Sparks before putting up a stronger performance in an 88-79 defeat to the Lynx.
The team later travelled to China for additional warm-up games before continuing preparations in Spain and eventually arriving in Berlin, with Wakama absent from much of the build-up.
The issue has come under increased scrutiny following the team’s poor start at the World Cup, alongside questions about the composition and experience of the squad.
After the defeat to South Korea, Wakama pointed to the cohesion of their opponents, noting that the Korean team had played together and appeared clear about their game plan.
“It is tough when your shots weren’t falling. I thought we had great looks in the first half, really good looks. We got to the free throw line but finished the game shooting 12-23 from the free throw line. We just weren’t able to get it done,” she said.
With qualification now beyond their reach, D’Tigress will hope to produce a much-improved display against France and secure a victory to bring their World Cup campaign to a more positive conclusion.
