Nigeria’s D’Tigress have been eliminated from the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup after suffering a heavy 111-56 defeat to France in their final Group B game in Berlin.
The 55-point loss became the heaviest defeat in D’Tigress history, surpassing their previous record loss of 100-46 to the United States at the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Antwerp. It was also Nigeria’s biggest defeat at a Women’s World Cup.
France dominate from the opening quarter
France took control immediately and led 31-13 after the first quarter.
The gap widened significantly before half-time, with Les Bleues entering the break with a commanding 65-26 advantage.
Nigeria struggle to contain France’s shooting
The French side continued to dominate after the break, extending the lead to 95-39 after three quarters.
Nigeria managed to win the final quarter 17-16, but the contest had already been decided.
France set three-point record
France produced an outstanding shooting display, making 22 three-pointers to set a new Women’s World Cup record.
Gabby Williams led France with 25 points, while Janelle Salaün added 19 and Marine Johannes finished with 17.
Efosa-Aguebor leads Nigeria
Grace Efosa-Aguebor was Nigeria’s top scorer with 15 points.
Elizabeth Balogun added 11 points, while Ezinne Kalu and Victoria Macaulay contributed six points each.
D’Tigress finish winless in Group B
The defeat meant Nigeria finished fourth in Group B with three losses from three games.
It brought a disappointing end to a tournament in which D’Tigress struggled to reproduce the level that has made them Africa’s dominant women’s basketball team.
France move on as Nigeria exit
France had already secured their place in the quarter-finals before facing Nigeria and finished the group stage with another dominant performance.
For D’Tigress, attention will now turn to evaluating what went wrong in Berlin and how the team can respond ahead of future international competitions.