Nigeria’s D’Tigress will play for pride against France in their final Group B game at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin earlier today, September 7.
D’Tigress have already been eliminated after dropping their first two games. They lost 99-81 to South Korea, and Hungary beat them 71-67 on Saturday.
It was a setback that ended Nigeria’s hope of making it out of the group with little more than pride at stake against France as they look to finish their campaign on a high note with a win.
But their early exit has also raised questions about the team’s preparation, particularly the limited involvement of head coach Rena Wakama in the run up to the tournament.
Wakama told the BBC ahead of the World Cup that she only found out a few days before flying to Berlin that she would be joining the team after some of the build-up period with WNBA side Chicago Sky.
She joined D’Tigress four days before their opening game, arriving late. The team had already completed much of its pre-tournament program in the United States, China and Spain by then.
Read Also: 2027: You’ll Still Eat After We Defeat You at the Polls – Ogun PDP Candidate
Wakama’s absence goes back to April when the Nigeria Basketball Federation said she would miss the team’s US tour due to her commitments to the Chicago Sky.
D’Tigress were led on the trip by assistant coach Wani Muganguzi, who guided the team in warm-up games against WNBA sides Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx.
Muganguzi coached both games as Nigeria lost 89-63 to the Sparks before putting up a better showing in an 88-79 loss to the Lynx.
The D’Tigress then traveled to China for more pre-tournament games and then back to Spain for more preparation – again without Wakama – before arriving in Berlin.
The lack of continuity has come into greater scrutiny since Nigeria’s poor start to the World Cup and questions have also been asked about the squad’s quality and age.
Wakama acknowledged that the result was hard to take following the loss to South Korea, and he lauded the unity displayed by their opponents.
“It’s hard when your shots aren’t falling. “I thought we had some really good looks in the first half, great looks. We got to the line, but ended the game shooting 12-23 from the free throw line. “We just weren’t able to get it done,” she said.
