Nigeria’s D’Tigress suffered a shocking 77-60 defeat to South Korea in their second match of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament.
Rena Wakama’s squad was outplayed at the Astroballe arena in France on Thursday, March 12, 2026, marking their first loss since the quarter-final heartbreak against the United States at the 2024 Olympics.
Just a day earlier, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, D’Tigress had dominated Colombia with a commanding 33-point victory. The team earned their spot in the qualifiers by clinching the women’s Afrobasket title in late 2025.
While the qualifiers primarily aim to boost ranking points, South Korea slammed the brakes on Nigeria’s winning momentum.
D’Tigress were already down by the end of the first quarter, with the Koreans ahead by 20-16.
Nigeria improved their performance in the second, but South Korea maintained the upper hand, with the match ending 36-32 at halftime.
South Korea then further increased its lead in the third quarter, 58-51, before blowing the gap wider in the final quarter to secure a 17-point victory.
D’Tigress is only one of five teams to have grabbed an automatic ticket to the World Cup. Germany qualified as the host while Belgium, the US and Australia sealed their places by winning their respective continental titles.
Nigeria will play the Philippines next on Saturday.
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