Colin UdohMar 23, 2026, 10:00 AM
Multiple Authors
At the end of the FIBA World Cup Qualifying series, Nigeria’s record was 2-3, with wins against Colombia and Philippines and losing to Korea, France and Germany.
A losing record on the face of it, but beyond the obvious record, D’Tigress results — against two European heavyweights — was an indication of how much improvement the team have and continue to make.
Nigeria finished the qualifying tournament beating Colombia 70-37 and the Philippines 101-84 before falling to South Korea 60-77, France 86-93, and Germany 73-81.
D’Tigress had already secured their place at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin by winning the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket, their fifth consecutive continental championship and seventh overall.
But they were still required to participate in the qualifying series, as were the other continental champions.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
Their 7-point loss to France was especially significant, said D’Tigress center Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah on her social media: “Something about losing to France actually made me feel better.
“At first that sounds crazy because when the game ended I was actually pretty upset. But today I saw a post comparing the game we had just lost against France to the last time we played against France at the Paris Olympics. And the difference in the score made me stop for a second.”
That difference was well worth noting. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Nigeria lost to France by 21 points. At the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, the margin was 25.
Now, at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament in Villeurbanne, it was seven, against a French team ranked third in the world, playing on home soil, in front of a crowd that had come specifically to cheer them past Nigeria.
“A loss is still a loss, but 21 points is a gap that is really hard to close,” Kunaiyi-Akpanah wrote. “However, seven points means you are right there.”
Ezinne Kalu drives forward for Nigeria in their win over the Philippines at the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. Armand Lenoir/FIBA via Getty Images
The same arc runs through Nigeria’s history against the United States. In a pre-Tokyo 2021 exhibition, the Americans won by 31. In the Tokyo group stage, by nine. At the Paris 2024 quarterfinals, the first Olympic quarterfinal an African women’s team has ever reached, the margin was 14.
Although that was double the previous, there was some context. It was an Olympic quarterfinal and was Nigeria’s most competitive showing against the USA.
All of these numbers, taken together, may describe a team losing, but they also describe a team closing the gap, and rapidly.
“When you think about how national teams actually work, that difference says a lot,” said Kunaiyi-Akpanah. “We barely get time to prepare for tournaments like this.
“Everyone is arriving from seasons, different clubs, different systems. We don’t get months to build chemistry. So seeing that difference, didn’t just feel like a loss, it felt like progress. Like, okay, we are getting closer.”
For Nigeria, who have precious little opportunities to assemble and play games, the week in Villeurbanne was a rare but welcome opportunity to get those games in and measure progress against some of the best in the world.
“We were already qualified for the World Cup, but this tournament was about showing up, competing and growing as a team,” Kunaiyi-Akpanah wrote.
“Let’s take a moment to celebrate, then go back to work.”
Nigeria’s Amy Okonkwo cheers on her team at the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in France in mid-March. Armand Lenoir/FIBA via Getty Images
The France game was the sharpest measure of all. Playing in front of a French home crowd, D’Tigress trailed by as many as 20 points in the second quarter before mounting a furious second-half comeback.
They outscored the hosts 41-36 over the final two quarters, cutting the deficit to just two points with a quarter to play, before France steadied themselves and held on to win 93-86.
France guard Valeriane Ayayi acknowledged afterward that Nigeria had pushed her team harder than anyone in the tournament.
“That game, against Nigeria, was the toughest game until now,” Ayayi said. “We were expecting this. I feel like we were surprised in the first half to be plus-20, then the second half the way they played. That was a good test for us, a different kind of basketball. It’s tough but we answered well.”
France coach Jean-Aime Toupane was just as complimentary of Rena Wakama’s team: “You have to give a lot of credit to the Nigerian team.
“This is a really good team, five-time African championship. I was expecting a very difficult game. This game showed us that we got to stay focused. You need these difficult moments. If you don’t have them you feel like everything is easy all the time.”
Guard Amy Okonkwo, who led Nigeria against France with 16 points on six-of-eight shooting, admitted that the home crowd was a factor but that D’Tigress have learned to play through it.
“It’s not our first time playing France and in front of the French home crowd,” Okonkwo said. “We played them before at the Olympics so we are used to the crowd.
“Of course it is a home environment for them, but as a team we know what is expected of us in those moments. We know how to tune out the crowd and keep fighting and focus on each other and not what is happening around us.”
Okonkwo says the tournament showed that the Nigerian team would be ready for the World Cup: “One thing about this group is that regardless of what is going on, we are still going to show up and prepare.
“We still go into every game the same way, scout the same way, prepare the same way. We know we still have way more in the tank than what we showed.”
Nigeria’sVictoria Macaulay was named to the All-Star five for the FIBA qualifiers. Armand Lenoir/FIBA via Getty Images
Nigeria’s progress becomes even clearer when set against the rest of the African field. The 2026 qualifying tournament featured three other African women’s programs: Mali, Senegal and South Sudan.
Mali, ranked 18th globally, lost to Belgium by 31 points. Senegal, ranked 25th, were routed by the United States 110-46 in San Juan, a 64-point crushing that left no ambiguity. South Sudan went winless across five games.
Nigeria, by contrast, lost to the world’s third-ranked team by seven, pushed Germany to eight and remains ranked 8th globally. No other African women’s program is closing the gap against top-five opposition at anything close to the rate D’Tigress are.
The individual recognition reflected it as well. Forward Victoria Macaulay was named to the tournament’s All-Star Five, joining France’s Janelle Salaun, who was named Most Valuable Player, France’s Marine Johannes, Germany’s Frieda Buhner and South Korea’s Leeseul Kang.
Macaulay averaged 13.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists across five games, finishing with a 16.4 efficiency rating.
FIBA’s official citation noted that she “used her know-how and strength in the paint and finished as a leader for the African champions in efficiency and scoring.”
Macaulay, 35, had been named MVP of Nigeria’s opening win over Colombia and scored 22 points against South Korea. Even in the narrow losses to France and Germany, she was Nigeria’s most dependable anchor.
Head coach Rena Wakama, who has gone 14-4 since taking charge in 2023 and led Nigeria to consecutive AfroBasket titles in 2023 and 2025, was pleased about the showing and the fight from her team.
“I am super proud of the fight,” Wakama said. “It has been a rough three games. I am super proud of my team. We will learn and grow from this.
“If we want to continue to be one of the top teams in the world, we have to be able to capitalize on these games and these opportunities and these big moments.”
The coach also pointed to self-belief as a key ingredient for the team going forward and into the World Cup.
“Having faith. If no one else believes in us, I believe in us,” Wakama said. “We should all have that belief in the locker room, that’s all that matters.
“I have a veteran group. All of my players are pros and to be a pro, you know when it’s time to show up and you know when it’s time to tighten up.”
The 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup tips off September 4 at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin, Germany.