After their impressive feat at the recently concluded women’s basketball event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress leaped four places to move into the top 10 of the FIBA Women’s rankings released today.
Previously ranked 12th before the Olympics, the African champions moved up four places to sit in 8th. They once again made history by becoming the first African national team – male or female – to be ranked in the top 10.
Also read: Paralympics 2024: Nigeria’s para-badminton duo off to winning start in Paris
D’Tigress surpassed all expectations at the Games beating highly ranked Australia and Canada in the group phase, helping them become the first ever African nation (male or female) to make it out of the group stage of the Olympics. Australia, who Nigeria defeated in their tournament’s opening game, went on to win a bronze medal. Their performance has been rewarded as they rose to second place in the latest rankings.
The United States of America who won an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal retained their top spot followed by Australia. Paris Olympics runners-up France moved four spots to sit in third while China dropped two spots as they fell to fourth. Spain, Belgium, and Canada are ahead of Nigeria in fifth, sixth, and seventh while Serbia and Japan complete the top 10.
Nigeria retained its No. 1 spot in Africa by a mile while Mali are second on the log (20th). Senegal who recently hired former D’Tigress coach Otis Hughly are third in Africa (24th), Mozambique is fourth (32nd) and Cameroon completes the top 5 (37).
The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournaments in Mexico and Rwanda saw several teams move up in the rankings. Hungary, the tournament winner in Kigali, climbed one spot to 15th. Meanwhile, host nation Rwanda had the most impressive ascent, jumping 12 places to 62nd.
Nigeria’s exploits at the Olympics resulted in its coach Rema Wakama being named Coach of the Tournament while guard Ezinne Kalu was named in the competition’s second team.
