D’Tigress will play for pride when they meet France in their last Group B game at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup today. They have already exited the competition after losing two matches.
The Nigerian women first lost 99-81 to South Korea in their opening game. Then they fell 71-67 to Hungary on Saturday, which ended their chances of moving forward in the tournament.
The match against France will give D’Tigress a chance to leave the tournament on a positive note after a rough start.
But their performance has raised concerns about the team’s preparation. This is especially true regarding head coach Rena Wakama's involvement leading up to the tournament.
In an interview before the World Cup, Wakama said she only learned a few days before leaving the United States that she would travel to Berlin. She had spent part of that time with WNBA team Chicago Sky.
Her late arrival meant she joined D’Tigress just four days before their first game. By then, the team had already completed a large part of its pre-tournament training in the United States, China, and Spain.
Wakama was not only absent for the last few days. In April, the Nigeria Basketball Federation shared that she would miss D’Tigress’ tour in the United States due to her commitments with Chicago Sky. Assistant coach Wani Muganguzi took charge of the team during that trip.
Muganguzi led D’Tigress in matches against WNBA teams Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx as part of their World Cup preparations. D’Tigress lost 89-63 to the Sparks but showed improvement in an 88-79 loss to the Lynx, with Muganguzi managing both games.
The assistant coach's work was part of a broader training program that continued while Wakama focused on her WNBA responsibilities.
D’Tigress later went to China for warm-up games before heading to Spain for further training before arriving in Berlin, all without Wakama.
The situation has attracted more attention after D’Tigress' poor start in the World Cup. There is also ongoing discussion about the quality and age of the team.
After the loss to South Korea, Wakama commented on the unity of their opponents. She said they played together and knew their game plan.
“It is tough when your shots weren’t falling. I thought we had great looks in the first half, really good looks. We got to the free throw line but finished the game shooting 12-23 from the free throw line. We just weren’t able to get it done,” she explained.
Against France, D’Tigress will aim to put in a better performance and end their campaign with a win, even if only for pride.
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