Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, have named their final 12-player roster for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament, with the list confirmed by FIBA on Thursday.
The squad, which was also announced on the team’s official social media platforms, features several experienced players including Ezinne Kalu, Sarah Ogoke, Amy Okonkwo and Promise Amukamara.
Other players included in the squad are Elizabeth Balogun, Nicole Enabosi, Victoria Macaulay, Murjanatu Musa, Pallas Kunayi-Akpanah, Rita Igbokwe, Ifunaya Okoro and Blessing Ejiofor.
The seven-time African champions will participate in the qualifying tournament scheduled to take place from March 11 to March 17 in Lyon, France.
Nigeria will begin their campaign against Colombia on March 11 before facing South Korea on March 12. The team will then play the Philippines on March 14, France on March 15 and conclude the group phase against Germany on March 17.
At the end of the tournament, the top three teams in the group will progress to the next stage of the qualification series.
D’Tigress, however, have already secured their place at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin after winning the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket title. As a result, the competition in Lyon is expected to serve mainly as an opportunity for the team to fine-tune its tactics and strengthen squad chemistry ahead of the global tournament.
Host nation Germany, along with Australia, Belgium and the United States, have also confirmed their participation at the World Cup.
Head coach Rena Wakama had initially announced a larger provisional squad before reducing the list to the final 12 players ahead of the qualifying competition.
Meanwhile, in the first edition of its power rankings for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup released on Thursday, FIBA placed Nigeria eighth globally based on the team’s recent performances and the quality of its roster.
With qualification already secured, the African champions are expected to use the tournament to test themselves against strong opponents such as France and Germany.
Nigeria will also be looking to build on the impressive form of players like Murjanatu Musa, who has been performing strongly in the EuroLeague Women competition, while experienced campaigners such as Kalu and Okonkwo are expected to provide leadership for the team.
D’Tigress previously appeared at the Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2006 in Brazil and again in 2018 in Spain. The team will aim to improve on those outings when the 2026 edition of the tournament is staged in Germany in September.
Following the qualifying tournament in France, the team is also scheduled to embark on a tour of the United States in April. As part of the preparations for the World Cup, Nigeria will face the Minnesota Lynx in a preseason exhibition, becoming the first African national team to play a Women’s National Basketball Association franchise.
