Oyedeji Issues Warning After D’Tigress’ World Cup Exit

Former D’Tigers captain Olumide Oyedeji has warned that Nigeria can no longer take its dominance of African women’s basketball for granted following D’Tigress’ disappointing exit from the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.

D’Tigress ended their campaign in Berlin without a victory, losing all three of their Group B matches. Their final outing ended in a heavy 111-56 defeat to France, bringing an early end to the team’s World Cup campaign.

Oyedeji described the performance as a major wake-up call for Nigerian basketball and urged stakeholders to take urgent action to prevent other African countries from closing the gap.

“The early exit is a wake-up call. It is a major step backward for the team, and urgent attention needs to be paid to the situation because the rest of Africa is also catching up with us,” Oyedeji said.

The former international, who is also a Nigeria Basketball Federation board member, said the disappointing campaign should lead to a thorough review of the country’s basketball development and preparation programmes.

D’Tigress entered the World Cup as the reigning African champions after winning their fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s AfroBasket title in 2025. They had also made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics by becoming the first African women’s basketball team to reach the quarter-finals.

However, that recent success was not replicated in Berlin.

Nigeria began the World Cup with an 81-99 loss to South Korea before suffering a narrow 67-71 defeat against Hungary. The team then faced France in their final group match and were overwhelmed by the European side.

The result has raised concerns about Nigeria’s ability to compete consistently against the world’s strongest teams despite its dominance on the African continent.

Oyedeji stressed that the setback should be used as an opportunity to strengthen the women’s basketball programme and develop a better pathway for emerging players.

He also called for greater attention to player development, preparation and long-term planning to ensure that Nigeria remains competitive internationally.

D’Tigress still possess significant experience and talent, but the World Cup campaign has exposed areas that require improvement.

With other African nations making progress, Oyedeji’s warning is that Nigeria must act quickly to preserve its position at the top of African women’s basketball and build a stronger foundation for future international competitions.