France hand D’Tigress second straight defeat, 93–86, in FIBA women’s World Cup qualifier

Nigeria’s D’Tigress have suffered a second successive defeat at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Lyon, going down 93–86 to hosts France at the Astroballe Arena in a contest they were competitive in for long stretches but ultimately could not close out.

The Nigerian side entered the clash hoping to secure their third win in four games, while France were aiming to maintain their perfect start to the tournament after victories over the Philippines, Colombia, and Germany in their opening three fixtures.

France made a fast start, with Leila Lacan scoring the first points of the game before Valériane Ayayi’s pull-up jumper pushed the hosts to a 6–0 lead before Ezinne Kalu got Nigeria on the board with a driving layup. The hosts dominated much of the first half, outscoring D’Tigress 29–21 in the opening quarter, before both teams matched each other 28–28 in the second quarter.

Nigeria rallied bravely in the second half but could not sustain the momentum when it mattered most. France led from the first quarter and did not relinquish it despite Nigeria claiming the third quarter by six points and staging a fourth-quarter comeback that was smothered in the closing stages.

Amy Okonkwo led D’Tigress with 16 points, closely followed by Elizabeth Balogun and Murjanatu Musa with 15 points apiece, while Ezinne Kalu also contributed 14 points as Nigeria produced a spirited but ultimately futile second-half performance.

The defeat is a second successive loss for Nigeria in the competition. D’Tigress had opened their campaign with a convincing 70–37 victory over Colombia before losing 77–60 to South Korea, then bouncing back with an impressive 101–84 win over the Philippines — results that had kept their hopes alive before Saturday’s reversal against the tournament hosts.

Despite back-to-back defeats to close the group stage, there is important context for D’Tigress and their supporters. Nigeria have already secured their place at the World Cup after winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, meaning the qualifying tournament serves primarily as competitive preparation for the global event rather than a do-or-die campaign. The 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup is scheduled to take place in Berlin, Germany, from September 4 to 13, 2026.

Nigeria will now shift focus to their final game of the tournament against Germany on Tuesday, as they look to end their qualifying campaign on a positive note ahead of the Berlin showpiece.