D’Tigress Turn Focus to Spain After China Tour Victory
Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, have shifted their attention to Spain as preparations for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup enter their final phase.
The African champions concluded a three-game exhibition series in China on a high on Wednesday, defeating the hosts 88-77 in Foshan. The victory was particularly significant after Nigeria had lost the first two meetings with China, giving the team a strong response before leaving Asia.
The team will now travel to Tenerife, Spain, where they are scheduled to continue their World Cup preparations from August 15 to 24. The Spanish camp will provide further high-level competition as coach Rena Wakama and her players fine-tune their tactics and squad ahead of the global tournament.
The World Cup is scheduled for September 4-13 in Germany, where Nigeria will face France, Hungary and South Korea in Group B.
The China tour has provided D’Tigress with valuable preparation against one of the world’s leading basketball nations. Although Nigeria lost the opening two games, the final 88-77 victory demonstrated the team’s ability to adjust and respond against a physically demanding opponent.
The preparations are particularly important for D’Tigress, who enter the World Cup as five-time defending African champions after winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket title. Their continental dominance has been accompanied by growing performances on the global stage.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Nigeria made history by becoming the first African team, male or female, to reach the Olympic basketball quarter-finals. The team defeated Canada in the group stage before eventually losing to the United States. Coach Wakama was subsequently named the tournament’s best women’s basketball coach by FIBA.
That historic Olympic run has raised expectations around the team ahead of Germany 2026. D’Tigress will now use their remaining warm-up games in Spain to address weaknesses exposed during the China series while building momentum and cohesion.
The Spanish leg is expected to include matches against Spain and Belgium, before Nigeria moves to Zaragoza for further games against Mali and Puerto Rico.
For Nigeria, the objective is bigger than defending its African status. D’Tigress are increasingly establishing themselves as a serious force beyond the continent, and their preparations in Spain will offer another opportunity to measure themselves against some of the world’s strongest teams.
