AFCON 2025
Nigeria’s D’Tigress suffered another heavy defeat in their preparations for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup after losing 90-55 to Belgium in Tenerife, Spain, on Saturday.
The African champions stayed within touching distance of the fifth-ranked Belgian Cats during parts of the first half, but a dominant second-half display saw Belgium pull away and secure a comprehensive victory.
Belgium made a fast start and opened up a 16-point lead in the first quarter. D’Tigress, however, responded strongly to reduce the deficit and went into half-time trailing 39-33.
Nigeria struggled to maintain that momentum after the break as Belgium took complete control of the contest. The Belgian Cats produced a dominant third-quarter performance, at one point outscoring D’Tigress 30-6, effectively putting the game beyond reach.
The defeat comes less than 24 hours after Nigeria were beaten 83-58 by hosts Spain in another warm-up match in the same triangular tournament.
The back-to-back losses provide another stern test for D’Tigress as they continue an intensive build-up to the World Cup. The team will next travel to Zaragoza, where they are scheduled to face Mali and Puerto Rico in their final warm-up fixtures before heading to Berlin.
The 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup will take place from September 4 to 13, with Nigeria drawn in Group B alongside South Korea, Hungary and France.
D’Tigress, ranked eighth in the world and seven-time African champions, will open their World Cup campaign against South Korea on September 4.
The team’s preparations have already taken them from the United States to China and now Spain, with the demanding schedule designed to test the squad against different styles of opposition and identify areas that need improvement before the tournament begins.
Despite the disappointing results in Tenerife, D’Tigress still have two more opportunities against Mali and Puerto Rico to sharpen their preparations and regain momentum ahead of their World Cup opener.
