AFCON 2025
Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, is set to make history with a three-game exhibition tour against Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) teams in the United States.
The reigning African champions will become the first African national team to feature in the WNBA preseason, in what is seen as a major step forward for basketball on the continent. The tour is expected to serve as key preparation for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Germany.
The exhibition series will run from late April to early May, with D’Tigress facing three established WNBA sides. The team will open their tour on April 25 against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Viejas Arena in San Diego. The fixture will mark the first time an African national team participates in an official WNBA preseason game.
D’Tigress will then travel to Kansas City, where they are scheduled to take on the Minnesota Lynx on April 27 at the T-Mobile Center. The tour will conclude on May 2 with a clash against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) arranged the tour as part of efforts to expose the team to high-level competition. This follows D’Tigress’ gold medal victory at the 2025 AfroBasket and their performance at the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament in France.
Head coach Rena Wakama will lead the team into the series. Wakama, who also serves as an assistant coach with the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, is expected to play a key role in guiding the team through the demanding fixtures.
