It’s double celebration for Nigeria’s D’Tigress, who defeated West African rivals Mali 78–64 to clinch the 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket title. The victory not only marks their fifth consecutive continental crown but also secures Africa’s automatic ticket to the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany.
Under FIBA rules, champions of each continental competition earn direct qualification to the World Cup, while semifinalists gain entry into the qualification pathway.
With this win, Nigeria joins host nation Germany, 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup champions the United States, EuroBasket Women 2025 winners Belgium, and 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup champions Australia as the first five teams confirmed for next year’s global tournament.
The World Cup will offer D’Tigress another opportunity to test themselves against some of the best basketball nations in the world. Nigeria missed out on the 2022 edition due to a lack of funding, a disappointment that led to the early retirement of several top players from the national team.
Now back on the world stage, Nigeria will aim to build on their growing legacy, having already become the only African women’s basketball team to win a game at the Olympics.
Aside from Nigeria, three other African countries, Senegal, Mali, and South Sudan, still stand a chance of qualifying for the World Cup from the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualification pathway.
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