Nigeria’s D’Tigress have been eliminated from the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup after suffering a heavy 111-56 defeat to France in their final group-stage match in Berlin, Germany.
The loss condemned the African champions to three defeats from three games, following earlier losses to South Korea and Hungary, leaving them bottom of their group.
France dominated from the opening quarter, taking a 31-13 lead before extending the advantage to 65-26 at halftime. The gap widened further in the third quarter as France raced to a 95-36 lead.
Although D’Tigress showed some resistance in the final quarter, they were unable to overturn the deficit and eventually lost by 55 points.
The early exit comes after a strong run for Nigeria, which included winning a fifth consecutive continental title and reaching the Olympic quarter-finals for the first time.
The defeat also marks a setback from Nigeria’s 2018 World Cup campaign, when D’Tigress reached the quarter-finals. They qualified for the 2022 edition but withdrew after the Federal Government imposed a self-imposed ban on Nigeria’s national basketball teams, with Mali taking their place.