D’Tigresses crash out of 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup after South Korea’s defeat to France

D’Tigresses crash out of 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup after South Korea’s defeat to France

Nigeria’s D’Tigresses have been eliminated from the ongoing 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany, after South Korea’s 95-69 defeat to France on Saturday, September 5, ended the African champions’ hopes of advancing to the knockout phase.

France’s emphatic victory gave the European powerhouse a second win in two group games, having earlier defeated Hungary, while South Korea had already secured a crucial victory over Nigeria.

The result leaves Nigeria unable to finish above South Korea or Hungary, regardless of what happens in their final group match against France.

Even a remarkable 100-point victory over France would not be enough to propel D’Tigresses into the next phase because of the head-to-head rule used to separate teams tied on points.

The development is particularly painful for Nigeria because of the structure of the 2026 competition.

Under the World Cup format, the four group winners advance directly to the quarter-finals, while teams finishing second and third in each group enter a single-elimination qualification round for the last eight.

The crossover qualification games are played between teams from Groups A and B, and Groups C and D. The winners of those do-or-die encounters then advance to the quarter-finals to face the four group winners.

Teams finishing fourth in their respective groups, however, are eliminated at the conclusion of the group stage.

Nigeria’s elimination means D’Tigress cannot reach even the qualification to-the quarter finals stage and will have to settle for their final group fixture against France.

The setback also marks a significant regression from Nigeria’s historic performance at the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Tenerife, Spain, where D’Tigress reached the quarter-finals.

That 2018 campaign remains Nigeria’s best-ever performance at the Women’s World Cup, and the team had hoped to match or surpass that achievement in Germany.

Instead, the African champions have been knocked out at the group stage, ending their hopes of another deep run on the global stage.

D’Tigresses will now face France in their final game, with pride and a positive finish to the tournament the remaining objectives for Rena Wakama’s side.