The final 12-player roster for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2026 has been confirmed by Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress.
FIBA made the list public on Thursday, and it was also posted on the team’s official social media accounts.
The team is led by seasoned players Promise Amukamara, Amy Okonkwo, Sarah Ogoke, and Ezinne Kalu. Elizabeth Balogun, Nicole Enabosi, Victoria Macaulay, Murjanatu Musa, Pallas Kunayi-Akpanah, Rita Igbokwe, Ifunaya Okoro, and Blessing Ejiofor join them.
The qualifying event is set for March 11–17 in Lyon, France, and will feature the seven-time African champions.
On March 11, Nigeria will start their campaign against Colombia. After that, they will play Germany on March 17, South Korea on March 12, the Philippines on March 14, and France on March 15.
The group’s top three teams will move on to the next round.
After winning the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket and earning automatic qualification for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, D’Tigress will use the Lyon competition to improve team chemistry and tactics in preparation for the international showcase.
Germany, the tournament’s host country, Australia, Belgium, and the United States have all reserved spots.
Before reducing it to the final 12 players for the competition, D’Tigress head coach Rena Wakama named a wider tentative roster.
Citing the team’s depth and recent success, FIBA ranked Nigeria ninth in the world in its initial power rankings for the 2026 Women’s World Cup, which were made public on Thursday.
The African champions have the chance to test themselves against some of the best teams in the world, but they are not under any pressure to qualify.
As Nigeria strives for a high finish in the group alongside France and Germany, the performance of Musa, who has shown promise in EuroLeague Women, and the experience of players like Kalu and Okonkwo could be crucial.
Nigeria made appearances at the Women’s Basketball World Cup in Brazil in 2006 and Spain in 2018. When the next edition is held in Germany in September 2026, the team hopes to build on those experiences.
D’Tigress will embark on a historic tour of the United States in April following the qualifications in France. As part of their World Cup preparations, the team will play the Minnesota Lynx in a historic preseason exhibition, making history as the first African national team to play a WNBA team.
