D’Tigress arrived in Berlin as African champions, world No. 8 and Olympic quarter-finalists. Two games later, Nigeria are already eliminated from World Cup progression. Korea scored 99 against them. Hungary then controlled the paint and won 71–67. Before France even arrives, Berlin has produced a harder question: what happened to Nigeria’s global momentum?
D’Tigress opened their 2026 Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign with a 99-81 defeat to Korea, with Hungary now looming as an early pressure game.
D’Tigress begin their 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign against Korea on Friday carrying African dominance, Olympic pedigree — and unfinished business. Korea beat Nigeria 77–60 in qualifying only months ago. Now, with Hungary immediately behind them and France still to come, Nigeria’s opening game offers an early test of whether Africa’s champions are ready to break another global barrier.
