D’Tigress head coach Rena Wakama has announced a 17-player provisional roster as Nigeria prepares for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualification tournament in Lyon, France, scheduled for March 11–17, 2026.
ENigeria Newspaper gathered that the list features several familiar faces from the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket Championship-winning squad in Ivory Coast, including Ezinne Kalu, Elizabeth Balogun, Promise Amukamara, Amy Okonkwo, and Murjanatu Musa. The inclusion of experienced players aims to blend continuity with tactical experimentation ahead of the main World Cup in Germany later this year.
Although Nigeria has already secured a spot at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup as reigning African champions, the qualifiers will serve as an opportunity to test the team’s readiness and evaluate squad depth against strong international opponents.
D’Tigress will open the qualifying tournament against Colombia on March 11, before taking on South Korea on March 12, the Philippines on March 14, hosts France on March 15, and Germany on March 17. The top three teams from the competition will earn automatic qualification for the World Cup.
Other confirmed participants in the World Cup include Germany as host, the United States as champions of the Americas, Belgium representing Europe, and Australia as Asian champions.
The 17-player provisional squad is as follows: Ezinne Kalu, Elizabeth Balogun, Promise Amukamara, Pius Beggi Idubano, Nicole Enabosi, Victoria Macaulay, Grace Efosa, Amy Okonkwo, Murjanatu Musa, Pallas Kunayi, Okoro Ifunaya, Wandoo Hembam, Adenike Olawuyi, Sarah Ogoke, Ayomide Tewogbade, Rita Igbokwe, and Blessing Ejiofor.
Coach Wakama and her technical team will observe the squad closely during preparatory sessions, making final adjustments before confirming the roster for the qualifiers.
