Nigeria Loses to France to End Woeful 2026 FIBA World Cup Campaign

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria’s D’Tigress ended their campaign at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup on a woeful note after suffering a heavy 111-56 defeat to France in their final Group B game on Monday.

The defeat, played at the Berlin Arena in Germany, condemned the African champions to a third consecutive loss at the tournament and ended their hopes of advancing to the knockout stages. FIBA lists the fixture as a Group B encounter in Berlin.

France dominated proceedings from the outset, overwhelming Nigeria’s defence and building a commanding lead as the game progressed.

Nigeria’s Grace Efosa-Aguebor scored 15 points, while her French counterpart, Gabby Williams, dunked 25 points, and Rita Igbokwe had 9 rebounds against Williams’ 6 rebounds. Nigerian captain Amy Okonkwo had 3 assists while France’s Pauline Astier had 5 assists.

The 55-point defeat was Nigeria’s heaviest loss of the group stage, following earlier defeats to South Korea and Hungary.

D’Tigress opened their campaign with an 81-99 loss to South Korea before falling 67-71 to Hungary, leaving them without a victory heading into the final game.

France, meanwhile, had already secured their place at the knockout stage before facing Nigeria, having won their opening two group matches against Hungary and South Korea.

Nigeria entered the competition as reigning African champions and the winner of the last five editions of Afrobasket, making them Africa’s leading basketball nation, but their 2026 campaign fell well short of the expectations generated by their continental dominance.

The loss also brought a disappointing end to Nigeria’s return to the World Cup after missing the 2022 edition. D’Tigress had reached the quarter-finals at the 2018 World Cup, finishing eighth overall.

The 2026 tournament is being held in Berlin from September 4 to 13, with the top teams progressing to the knockout rounds after the group phase. Under the updated 2026 tournament structure, fourth-place group finishers are eliminated immediately, bypassing both the direct quarter-finals and the single-elimination crossover qualification round.