By DUNG CHUNG
Nigeria’s D’Tigress opened their 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign with a 99-81 defeat to South Korea in Berlin, Germany, on Friday.
The reigning African champions struggled to contain South Korea’s attack, conceding 99 points as their opponents converted their scoring opportunities more consistently and maintained pressure on the Nigerian defence.
D’Tigress had spells of competitiveness and moved the ball well when they found their rhythm, but they struggled to sustain that intensity as South Korea established control of the game.
The result was another setback for Nigeria against the Koreans, who defeated D’Tigress 77-60 at the World Cup qualifying tournament in Lyon earlier this year.
The defeat leaves Nigeria needing a response in their remaining Group B matches against Hungary and France. Under the expanded 16-team format, the top three teams in each group advance to the next stage, while group winners progress directly to the quarter-finals.
D’Tigress will face Hungary next and will need to improve defensively while finding greater consistency in attack to strengthen their chances of progressing from the group.
Nigeria, five-time defending African champions and quarter-finalists at the Paris 2024 Olympics, will now look to recover from the opening-day defeat and keep their World Cup campaign on track.