Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, have discovered their opponents for the final qualifying phase of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026, following yesterday’s draw held at the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball in Mies, Switzerland.
The four-time African champions will compete in Lyon-Villeurbanne, France, one of the four host cities for the global qualifiers scheduled to take place from March 11 to 17, 2026.
D’Tigress have been drawn in a tough group alongside France, Germany, Korea, Colombia, and the Philippines, as they look to secure a place at the Berlin 2026 World Cup. The qualifiers will serve as the final gateway to the world’s biggest women’s basketball tournament, where 16 nations will battle for glory.
The draw was conducted by Germany’s Marie Guelich and former French captain Endy Miyem, under the supervision of FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis and representatives from participating federations.
Aside from Lyon-Villeurbanne, other host cities for the qualifiers include Wuhan (China), San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Istanbul (Türkiye).
D’Tigress will be hoping to continue their dominance on the African continent and translate it into another impressive global outing as they aim to secure qualification for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin 2026.
The Full Draw:
Wuhan, China: Mali, South Sudan, Brazil, Belgium, Czechia, China
Lyon-Villeurbanne, France: Colombia, Philippines, Germany, Korea, France, Nigeria
San Juan, Puerto Rico: New Zealand, Puerto Rico, USA, Senegal, Italy, Spain
Istanbul, Türkiye: Hungary, Türkiye, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Japan
D’Tigress forward Amy Okonkwo has linked up with her Besiktas teammates ahead of the start of the 2025/26 Turkish Women’s Basketball Super League season.
Okonkwo enjoyed a remarkable summer, first spearheading Nigeria’s D’Tigress to a historic fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s Afrobasket title in 2025. She was once again named Most Valuable Player (MVP), repeating the feat she first achieved in 2023.
She then fulfilled a lifelong dream by making her WNBA debut, signing a seven-day hardship contract with the Dallas Wings. After impressing in her initial stint, she earned a second hardship contract before ultimately securing a permanent deal for the rest of the season.
Now back in Turkey, Okonkwo will be pivotal to Besiktas’ ambitions of breaking Fenerbahce’s long-standing dominance in the league.
Nigeria’s women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, have achieved a significant milestone in the latest FIBA Women’s World Rankings, climbing back into the world’s top 10 and landing in 8th place.
This historic jump, up three spots from their previous position, comes on the heels of their dominant performance at the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2025, where they were crowned champions for the fifth consecutive time .
More than just continental glory, D’Tigress continue to break barriers for African basketball. They remain the only African team ever to feature in the global top 10, a testament to their consistency, talent, and growing influence on the world stage.
Their latest achievement places them just behind global powerhouses like the USA, Australia, China, and newly crowned EuroBasket champions Belgium, who leapfrogged Spain to enter the top five. Brazil also made moves into the 9th spot after reaching the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup Final.
Elsewhere on the continent, Mali, runners-up at the AfroBasket, surged six places to 18th, reflecting Africa’s growing competitiveness. South Sudan, meanwhile, made headlines with a sensational bronze-medal finish on their AfroBasket debut, skyrocketing 31 spots to 55th — a historic rise for the young nation.
For D’Tigress, their eyes now set on global tournaments and Olympic qualification.
Sir: Sports are no doubt a unifying factor whose influence on nation’s building can hardly be resisted or discarded. Sports are so powerful it does what politics and money cannot do in terms of uniting people of nations in all parts of the world.
In Nigeria, it’s during sports seasons that people of the South, North, East and West forget their differences. Irrespective of the geographical location they come from, Nigerians often care less for their common and ultimate goal is the victory and glory that sport brings to the country. Perhaps the reason ethnicity and tribalism rarely flourish in the atmosphere of sports.
Countries all over the world have benefited and are still benefiting considerably from sports. Apart from financial gains, sports have brought peace to countries. The qualification of Côte d’Ivoire – for the first time – for 2006 FIFA World Cup influenced the government of Laurent Gbàgbo and the rebel force to end the civil war in the southern coast of West Africa. Despite the differences of the two warring sides, they found common ground in sports. They sheathed their swords when the national team of the country, the Elephants, qualified for the 18th quadrennial international football world championship tournament in Germany.
If sports are capable of uniting people of diverse culture/background and propelling two warring sides to lay down their arms, then sports cannot be said of costing the earth.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu saw the need to reward the Super Falcons and the D’Tigress, both whose performances earned Nigeria unparalleled victories in the world of sports. The Super Falcons won their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) while the D’Tigress won their 5th consecutive Women’s Afrobasket title, making seven titles overall. Without a doubt, both teams’ unprecedented performances called for commendation and were worthy of celebration.
This, of course, was the reason the president, Tinubu, rewarded the players of both teams and their technical crew with national honour, three-bedroom flat each and the sum of $100,000 each for players and $50,000 each for their handlers. But why did the rewards generate so much controversy despite the influence and impact of sports on Nigeria and Nigerians?
Some believe it’s inappropriate to shower so much goodies on the women athletes, especially in this period of economic downturn. Their argument is based on the state of the nation – particularly the economy. On the contrary, many Nigerians see nothing wrong in what Mr President did for the sports women. They argue that nothing is too expensive to do for any dedicated and patriotic Nigerian whose gesture promotes the image and portrays the country in good light. They believe that this will serve as an encouragement to others.
In my view, the government can do better by waking the consciousness of the multinational companies that operate in Nigeria. One of their corporate responsibilities is the promotion of sports and encouragement of sports participants. These companies can be persuaded to handle the financial aspect of the rewards while the government handles the honorary premium.
Inasmuch as sport is a short-lived career with a long tale of consequence, there are schemes the government can initiate to cater for the welfare of the Nigerian sports professionals after retirement. We have witnessed situations where the past sports men/women who were darling of sports lovers during their heydays later battled deteriorating health with little or no support
Programmes like National Sports Pension Scheme, Mandatory Insurance Coverage, Athletes Welfare Trust Fund and others can be established to cater for the Nigerian athletes after they have exceeded their prime time, when the cheers of the crowd and flashes of cameras eventually cease. These structured pension and welfare system will ensure dignity, security and a future for our sportsmen and women and their lives after hanging up their boots will be guaranteed.
Super Falcons and D’Tigress awards call for a fresh reward template for national heroes, across all sectors
The triumph and fulsome reward to two Nigerian national female teams, the Super Falcons and D’Tigress, has opened a spigot of cash, promised real estate and the national honour of Officer of Order of the Niger (OON) — and rightly so.
The Falcons, after going down 2-0 in just 24 minutes to hosts Atlas Lionesses of Morocco, claimed a 3-2 victory — all three goals in the last 30 minutes of the game! The icing on the cake: the Falcons’ 10th triumph in 10 finals, out of 13 championships, spread over 26 years!
These 10 wins are also a world record: only the Falcons — national female football team — boast 10 titles, of all the continental champions; the closest being (USA: North/Central America/Caribbean) and Brazil (South America), with nine titles each. Also, the 10 over 10 — 100% win — in the Women African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) finals is also a global phenomenon.
Still, move over, the Falcons — in a few days in-between. Approach to be toasted, D’Tigress: seven-time African female Basketball champions, and five-time champions on the bounce, with their August 3 triumph in the African championship in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire — an African record! What was more? That latest win was their 29th, over the last 10 years: their last defeat, on African soil, being in that same championship in 2015!
The Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu, has admirably reacted with a surfeit of gifts, on behalf of a thrilled and grateful nation: the Naira equivalent of US$ 100, 000, a three-bedroom apartment in a government estate in Abuja and the OON for each of the players, with the cash prize graduated for each member of the technical team. The Falcons and D’Tigress were rapturous winners.
But what first appeared a rich pasture of national honour — well-earned — soon plummeted into a desert of resent and complaints. The aggrieved complained that whereas they honoured Nigeria by past wins, Nigeria never honoured them, as the present golden girls.
Graceless sense of entitlement? Sour grapes? Or even braying political opponents, over the good PR these sweet victories have gifted the Tinubu government? Plausible motives to be fair, but not x-raying these grievances would be unfair.
The very first came from past winners of WAFCON, particularly in those early dominant years, when Nigeria did not only clean the titles but won big, scoring as many as eight goals, in complete demolition of luckless opponents.
Ironically, representing these indomitable pioneers, in this latest bevy of winners, is Ann Agumanu-Chiejine. Chiejine, a former Falcons goalkeeper, played in a championship when she was months pregnant! What heroism! What patriotism!
But most of her Falcons contemporaries were out, including Precious Dede, another iconic goalkeeper, Perpetual Nwocha — the female version of the male Austine “Jay-Jay” Okocha, with her sublime skills, if not Jay-Jay’s mercurial showboating, Florence Omagbemi, worthy and dependable skipper of that era, among many others.
If they delivered for the country, why were they not toasted as these Spartans that just accomplished Mission X? Can the good action of the present government become a “fault”, because of the inaction of the previous governments? Certainly not!
Even then, it’s doubtful if that “inaction” can be rubbished. Whatever reason for that past decision couldn’t have been ingratitude. Such governments appreciated the Falcons no less. They just did it their own way. It doesn’t matter that it didn’t translate into cash and sundry flourish.
So, while we empathise with these past heroines, it’s better they stop turning their experience into virtual moral blackmail to browbeat the current order for past actions or inactions. Were the government even to bow to that pressure, how far into the past would it go? It’s best to wish the present lucky winners well and joy for them.
A second appeal, driven by a rather bitter grumble, has come from Peacemaker Azuegbulam, a living symbol of near-supreme sacrifice in his service duties, but who has found redemption in sports.
Azuegbulam, 28, was at the terror front in October 2020, as a 23-year-old, when Boko Haram cells attacked his unit, seriously wounding him. To save his life, military doctors opted to amputate one of his legs. That completely broke Azuegbulam.
“After being injured, I got into a lot of things emotionally, physically and even mentally,” he would later tell Africa News. “I was thinking a lot of things, I was not myself, it was very tough.” Indeed, for a young man, that must have been tough!
But then came redemption — and a second life — in sports. The young soldier grabbed sports as therapy, and before long, he was back to his feet. He became the African champion in powerlifting, while also competing in sitting volleyball. The apogee of his rebirth came in Düsseldorf, Germany, which hosted the 2024 Invictus Games, conceived as rallying sports for deformed soldiers. He won a gold in powerlifting — the very first African soldier to achieve such a feat.
“I feel great to become the first champion in Invictus Games from Africa,” he crowed to AFP in Abuja, after the win. “Invictus means unconquered because we are still alive.”
Unfortunately, the Falcons and D’Tigress rewards have brought needless bitterness to blight his soaring, back-from-the-dead spirit, the very ethos of the Invictus Games, which started in 2014, as conceived by Prince Harry of England.
“We came back, nothing was given to us,” he grumbled, “and today, US$ 100, 000 was given to female footballers.” Although he clearly stated that he was happy for the girls, his own lack of reward made him bitter.
The pathos of Azuegbulam is deep: a serviceman, crippled in action, came back to do more honours for his country, and yet feels far less appreciated — deep! But that can only fly in the emotive space. If you apply some rigour, the podium seems to vanish.
For one, he is a serviceman, who enjoys benefits not open to other non-force citizens. We owe our service (wo)men grateful honour. But it’s doubtful if anyone outside the military ogles those exclusive benefits he and colleagues enjoy, flowing from their service oath.
Besides, Invictus is a strictly military affair. Whatever dissonance he had, he ought to have channelled it to the military authorities. Also, he sounds rather reactionary: his glory came last year. If the military did not do enough, why didn’t he complain then? But maybe complaining now is an opener for the military to give their own far better deals, in consonance with their service oath. First thing first, though: Azuegbulam should complain to the right quarters.
A third complaint came from the triumph of other glorious teens — three of them — from a Yobe secondary school, that trumped their peers in a global competition in English. The trio: Nafisa Abdullahi Aminu, Rukayya Muhammad Fema and Hadiza Kashim Kalli. All three, 17 and below, triumphed at the 2025 TeenEagle Global competition in London, UK.
Some voices have pushed a Naira splash for the teens too, matching the presidential largesse of the adult Falcons and D’Tigress. Well, no crime in asking in a setting notorious for entitlement. But pushing for adult rewards for impressionable teens is clearly not well thought out, if not ab initio powered by outright mischief.
The Federal Government has done well by toasting the feat of these golden teens where it matters most — their budding intellect. Their achievements, coming from a section of the country often talked down as educational laggards, is great news. So, the Federal Government should follow with adequate rewards to further nurture their promise. But that can’t equate fulsome cash given to adults. Better: some structured scholarships and learning tools.
With these complaints, however, there is an urgent need to frame a conscious and deliberate reward template for whoever excels, in every sector of our national life.
If that is put in place, and it’s fair and robust enough, sour grapes popping up at glory times should vanish. We should celebrate our patriots without any dark backlash.
At a reception held at their Abuja head office in Maitama, Zenith Bank Plc , the sponsors of the Women National Basketball League, yesterday rolled out the drums for the victorious D’Tigress of Nigeria after the team secured a successive fifth record FIBA AfroBasket title.
The bank rewarded the team with N200m.
Each of the players will receive N10m which will be paid into their Zenith Bank accounts while the technical crew and others will share the remaining.
While appreciating the D’Tigress for a job well done, the GMD/CEO of Zenith Bank, Dame (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji (OON), said the outfit would continue to support the women basketball in Nigeria as they look forward to the team excelling at the world stage.
“Your victory at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket is not just a win for Nigeria, it is a win for African sports,” she said.“At Zenith Bank, we celebrate your victory – not just as supporters, but as longstanding partners in the development of women’s basketball in Nigeria.
“I hereby reaffirm Zenith Bank’s steadfast commitment to advancing women’s basketball and promoting sports development across Nigeria.”
Responding to the kind gesture, the captain of the team and the Most Valuable Player of the AfroBasket, Amy Okonkwo, on behalf of the team, appreciated the financial institution for doing a lot for women basketball in the country.
D’Tigress, after beating Mali 78-64 in the final played in Abidjan on Sunday arrived the country on Monday afternoon and were hosted by President, Bola Tinubu, where they were rewarded with National Honours of OON and cash rewards.
After sponsoring the national women league for 18 years with some of the players in the past title winning team going through the league as two of the current team, Murjanatu Musa, the MVP of the Air Warriors team that won the league title in 2022 and Ifunnaya Okoro with the current coach of the team, Rena Wakama, also participating in the league as a player with First Bank Women Basketball team.
Present at the reception were some of Zenith Bank’s Executive Directors, who expressed their appreciation to the D’Tigress for making the country proud. They are Adobi Nwapa, Akin Ogunranti, Henry Oroh and Louis Odom.
The Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, President of the NBBF, Musa Kida and some of his board members were also at the colourful eve
The D’Tigress forward and Most Valuable Player at the just concluded 2025 FIBA AfroBasket Championships in Cote d’Ivoire, Amy Okonkwo, has expressed her gratitude to the President Bola Tinubu and Government and People of Nigeria for recognising the team’s recent achievements with handsome rewards.
Following their record fifth successive AfroBasket title on Sunday, the D’Tigress were handed enormous cash gifts, national honours and flats by the Federal Government at a reception ceremony at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday.
“I just wants to say myself on behalf of D’Tigress, that we’re so, so thankful that we got to represent our country and thankful to be able to continue our excellence in our sport; the gift that God gave us.
“It means the world to us to be able to be hosted and able to represent the country in this way, to bring back another championship, to be able to inspire young women around the world that they can one day too be in our shoes.
“I give thanks to everybody for your support and continuing lifting us higher because I don’t think this sky is our limit, we can go beyond we can break barriers. Thank you.”
Okonkwo, 28, was in form throughout the competition and also noted for her leadership role. She was awarded the “Most Valuable Player” for her outstanding performance, became the only Nigerian to register two double-double.
Amy represented Nigeria at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where she averaged 2.7 points and 1 rebound. She also participated in the 2021 Afrobasket, where she won gold with the team and averaged 9.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists.
She also represented Nigeria in the 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, hosted in Kigali, Rwanda where she was named the most valuable player. Okonkwo also headlined the All-Star Tournament team of 2023.
Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, and the lawmaker representing Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency, Hon. Kama Nkemkanma, have congratulated Nigerian basketball star Blessing Ejiofor for her key role in D’Tigress’ fifth consecutive AfroBasket Women’s Championship title in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
In a statement on Tuesday, Governor Nwifuru described Ejiofor, a native of Okposi in Ohaozara Local Government Area, as a source of pride to Ebonyi State and a powerful symbol of what determination and hard work can achieve.
“You have created another moment of history with your achievement, and we are incredibly proud of you,” the governor said. “For every girl-child from Ebonyi, you are an inspiration, showing that hard work and dedication can lead to great accomplishments.”
He also applauded Ejiofor’s commitment to girl-child empowerment through her work with the Muna Foundation’s Girls Empowerment Camp, calling her a beacon of hope and a role model.
In a separate message, Hon. Nkemkanma commended Ejiofor’s contribution to Nigeria’s continued dominance in African women’s basketball, praising her for elevating the image of Ebonyi State through her outstanding performance.
“Your journey from local playcourts to the prestigious courts of Vanderbilt University, Chipola, West Virginia University, and now D’Tigress is a shining example of relentless dedication and talent,” he said.
Nkemkanma described Ejiofor as a role model for youth, lauding her for representing her constituency, state, and nation with “grace, strength, and excellence.”
Ejiofor was a member of the victorious D’Tigress team that clinched the 2025 AfroBasket title, further cementing Nigeria’s dominance in women’s basketball on the continent.
Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has congratulated the Nigeria’s National Women’s Basketball Team, D’Tigress, for lifting their seventh African championship title at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that D’Tigress defeated Mali 78–64 in a gripping final on Sunday night at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra, in his congratulatory message posted on his X handle on Monday, said that they played like true queens of the court, fearless, fast, and unstoppable.
According to him, “congratulations D’TIGRESS, you did it, you played like true queens of the court, fearless, fast, and unstoppable.
“Again, you’ve made Nigeria proud, you’ve made Africa proud, and you’ve made history by being the AfroBasket champions 5 times in a row.
“To the players, thank you for giving us your absolute best, for pouring your heart into every game, and for showing the world what Nigerian excellence looks like. Your prowess on the court was exceptional.
“To Coach Rena Wakama, thank you for your leadership, strategy, and belief in this team, you guided them like a true champion maker,” he said.
It was the turn of the victorious senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, to smile home with gifts yesterday.
For winning the FIBA Women’s AfroBasketball title for the fifth consecutive time and the seventh overall, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rewarded members of the team with the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), $100,000 each, and a three-bedroom flat each.
It was at a presidential reception held in their honour at the State House Banquet Hall.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented the President, made the announcement.
Members of the coaching and technical crew will receive $50,000 each and similar housing packages.
The ceremony, attended by top government officials, including First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the Vice President’s wife Hajia Nana, ministers Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite (Finance, State), Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim (Women Affairs), Arts and Culture Hanatu Musawa, Chairman National Sports Commission (NSC) Shehu Dikko, Chairman Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBF) Musa Kida and others, celebrated the team’s resounding 78–64 victory over Mali in the AfroBasket final match held on Sunday night at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Shettima praised their display of unity, resilience, and excellence.
“You have conquered Africa 78 to 64. It’s not just about tactical superiority, but also about poise, discipline, and the Nigerian spirit.
“You wore the green and white not just as a jersey but as a symbol of unity—and now you wear the crown as kings of African basketball for the fifth consecutive time”, Shettima declared.
Addressing the players as ‘daughters of the nation’, Shettima singled out Head Coach Rena Wakama for special praise, saying: “Your quiet strength and historic achievements have shattered ceilings. You represent the evolution of leadership in Nigerian sports. You have earned your place as one of the world’s best.”
He also hailed Amy Okonkwo, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, and Ezinne Kalu, top scorer in the final, noting: “You played not for yourselves, but for Nigeria. Your victory belongs to all of us.”
Shettima emphasised the administration’s commitment to sports as a national development strategy.
“Sports is not merely entertainment—it is infrastructure, education, diplomacy, youth employment, and economic transformation.
“Under this government, we are repositioning sports for global competitiveness and sustainable growth.”
Shettima thanked the National Sports Commission, led by Shehu Dikko, and the Nigerian Basketball Federation under Musa Kida, for their support of the team.
In a stirring address, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu said the team’s triumph represents more than a basketball win—it is a beacon of inspiration for future generations.
“This victory is a resounding statement of hard work, excellence, and national pride.
“You have written another golden chapter in Nigeria’s sporting history.
“You inspire every young girl to dream boldly and pursue greatness,” she said.
Mrs. Tinubu recounted a previous encounter with the team during a visit last year, noting their progress.
“You showed up then, and now you are seated before the President. That’s what consistency, excellence, and discipline can achieve”, the First Lady noted.
She highlighted the extraordinary story of Dr. Sarah Goke, a full-time surgeon who recently had a baby and still played in the tournament.
“Your story is one of resilience and inspiration. May your path continue to light the way for others.”
Speaking on behalf of the team, Amy Okonkwo expressed heartfelt gratitude to the President and people of Nigeria.
“We are so thankful to be here today. It means the world to us to be hosted like this and to inspire young women across the world that they too can dream,” she said.
Okonkwo praised the team’s support system and leadership, saying: “We thank you for lifting us higher. We believe the sky is not our limit—we can break barriers.”
Dikko described D’Tigress’ latest triumph as a milestone for Nigerian sports and women in athletics.
“This is a defining moment. With this victory, Nigeria becomes the first African team to qualify for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup and extends an incredible 29-game unbeaten run in AfroBasket—an era unmatched in African basketball,” Dikko stated.
He applauded Coach Wakama’s back-to-back continental titles in 2023 and 2025, noting her emergence as a global symbol of female leadership in coaching.
“She has redefined what is possible when we invest in domestic development,” he said.
Dikko emphasised the planning and leadership that led to the team’s success.
“These victories are not accidents. They are a product of deliberate investment, reforms, and the athletes’ resilience,” he said.
Highlighting other recent achievements in sports, Dikko mentioned Nigeria’s hosting of the Confederation of African Athletics U18 and U20 Championships, participation in the African Youth Games in Algeria, and the qualification of the U19 female basketball team for the World Cup in the Czech Republic.
“These efforts are part of a broader national strategy to build a sustainable sports ecosystem that empowers youth and enhances global competitiveness,” he said.
Dikko assured the President of continued reforms in the sports sector, adding: “Every Nigerian boy and girl deserves a fair shot at becoming the next Ezinne Kalu or Tobi Amusan.
“We are committed to deepening reforms and unlocking our potential.”
He thanked President Tinubu, the First Lady, female ministers, and private partners supporting sports.
“You have inspired a nation. You’ve shown us again that greatness is earned through belief, unity, and hard work,” he said.
He also expressed hope for similar success from the national men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, who begin their AfroBasket championship campaign in Angola in two weeks.
The presidential reception follows a similar ceremony hosted by President Tinubu last week for the Super Falcons, after their victory in the 2025 WAFCON in Rabat, Morocco.
D’Tigress now hold seven African championship titles and remains the most dominant women’s basketball team on the continent.
