Nigeria’s D’Tigress exited the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup without a win after a 111-56 defeat to France in their final Group B match in Berlin on Monday. The loss left the African champions bottom of the group and ended a campaign that began with two earlier defeats.
France set the tone early, opening the game with a 31-13 first-quarter lead and stretching the advantage to 65-26 by halftime. The visitors were unable to contain France’s offence, lost control of possessions and failed to build the defensive intensity required to reduce the margin in the second half. France completed a 55-point victory.
D’Tigress entered the tournament having lost 81-99 to South Korea and 67-71 to Hungary, results that meant a win over France was required to keep qualification hopes alive. Those hopes had already been extinguished before the final game after France beat South Korea 95-69 to secure a quarter-final spot, confirming Nigeria’s elimination ahead of the meeting in Berlin.
The outcome is stark against the team’s recent record on the continent. D’Tigress arrived in Germany as five-time consecutive African champions and as the highest-ranked women’s national team in Africa. They also made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics by becoming the first African side to reach the women’s Olympic quarter-finals. Despite that pedigree, the World Cup campaign closed without a victory, exposing a gap between their regional success and results on the global stage.
The 111-56 defeat completes a winless Group B run and leaves the Nigerian side facing questions about how to convert continental dominance into competitiveness at world tournaments. For now, France move on in the competition, while D’Tigress return home having failed to progress beyond the group phase in Berlin.
