D’Tigress Begin Preparations for 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup

Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, have officially commenced preparations for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup scheduled to take place in Berlin, Germany, from September 4 to 13.

The President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Musa Kida, announced the development in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by the federation’s Media Coordinator, Akeem Busari.

The reigning African champions opened their training camp in Chicago, United States, on July 29 as part of plans to fine-tune the squad ahead of the global championship.

According to Kida, the initial phase of the training programme will run until August 2, giving the coaching crew an opportunity to evaluate players and prepare the team for the challenges of the tournament.

He explained that head coach Rena Wakama and her technical team would use the camp to assess the fitness, form and readiness of players before finalising the squad for the World Cup.

The NBBF president also disclosed that the team would travel to Haikou, China, after the Chicago camp aboard a luxury aircraft provided by the federation’s partner, XE Jet.

The move, he said, forms part of the federation’s commitment to ensuring the players enjoy the best possible preparations ahead of the competition.

Kida revealed that D’Tigress would participate in three international friendly matches in China between August 3 and August 14 as they intensify preparations for the tournament.

The friendly fixtures are expected to provide the technical crew with valuable opportunities to test tactics, improve team chemistry and assess the players against quality opposition before the World Cup begins.

Nigeria heads into the tournament with high expectations after maintaining its dominance in African women’s basketball by successfully defending its Afrobasket title.

The team has continued to establish itself as one of Africa’s leading basketball nations, earning global recognition through impressive performances at major international competitions.

Coach Wakama is expected to build on that momentum as she prepares the squad for another strong showing on the world stage.

The federation expressed confidence that the training camp and international friendlies would adequately prepare the players for the competition in Germany.

D’Tigress will be aiming to improve on previous World Cup performances and further strengthen Nigeria’s reputation among the world’s top women’s basketball nations.