On Monday, September 7, 2026, France women’s basketball team routed Nigeria’s D’Tigress 111-56 at the Berlin Arena in Germany, ending the African champions’ FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign with a third successive defeat.
France arrived in Berlin already assured of a place in the quarter-finals, but the French side showed little sign of easing off as the team produced a remarkable shooting display against Nigeria.
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The French opened strongly, taking the first quarter 31-13 before extending the advantage to 65-26 at half-time. The 65 points represented France’s highest first-half total in a Women’s World Cup match.
France continued the assault after the interval, adding 30 points in the third quarter. Nigeria improved slightly in the final period, but the damage had already been done as France completed a commanding 55-point victory.
The result also gave France a remarkable place in the tournament’s record books.
France made 22 three-pointers, setting a new Women’s World Cup record and surpassing Japan’s previous mark of 20. The French side had already made 14 three-pointers by half-time.
Gabby Williams led France with 25 points, while Janelle Salaün added 19, Marine Johannes scored 17 and Migna Touré contributed 16.
Williams also produced her highest scoring performance for France, according to French reports.
For Nigeria, the defeat brought a difficult tournament to a close. D’Tigress had earlier lost 99-81 to South Korea and 71-67 to Hungary, leaving the African champions without a victory from their three Group B matches.
The disappointing campaign stands in sharp contrast to Nigeria’s recent rise on the international stage.
D’Tigress entered the tournament as reigning African champions and had strengthened their reputation after reaching the quarter-finals of the Paris 2024 Olympics, becoming the first African basketball team to reach that stage at an Olympic Games.
Nigeria’s current position was also reflected in the FIBA world rankings. The April 2026 ranking placed Nigeria eighth in the world and first in Africa, while France occupied second place globally.
Captain Amy Okonkwo acknowledged the quality of the French side while explaining Nigeria’s difficulty in settling into the contest.
“It was a tough game. France is a great team. We saw that at the 2024 Olympics, and we’ve seen it throughout the qualifiers,” Okonkwo said.
“They’re a really great team, and they came out to play today. Again, I think we just struggled to find our rhythm early and weren’t able to get the win or really stop them.”
Head coach Rena Wakama, meanwhile, framed the result within a broader rebuilding process rather than treating the Olympic success of 2024 as a standard the current squad could simply reproduce.
“A lot of people saw what we did in 2024, and the reality of where we are today is that we’re in a rebuilding process,” Wakama said.
Wakama pointed to the lack of continuity within the squad and the need for greater understanding between the players and coaching staff.
“Where we are today isn’t where we were two years ago. We can’t rely on the success we had two years ago. Who we are today, we’re still figuring that out, and I know we will.”
The coach also acknowledged the competitive advantage enjoyed by several members of the French squad, particularly those accustomed to the intensity of the WNBA.
“A lot of those players are in playoff shape. They play in the WNBA, and my players just weren’t there yet to be able to compete at the level that they were competing at,” Wakama said.
There was nevertheless a more encouraging note in Wakama’s assessment of the tournament.
She praised the younger members of the Nigerian squad for maintaining their effort despite the increasingly difficult circumstances against France.
“I’m most proud of our fight,” Wakama said, highlighting the experience gained by several young players making their first appearance at this level.
Grace Efosa was among those singled out after contributing 15 points in roughly 20 minutes against France.
Wakama believes the exposure gained by Efosa and other emerging players could prove valuable as Nigeria begins planning for the next Olympic cycle.
The challenge now is to turn the painful lessons from Berlin into progress.
Wakama said the rebuilding process would involve identifying Nigeria’s best available talent and improving the team’s preparation ahead of future international competitions, with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics already forming part of the longer-term horizon.
“We had great preparation, but I think there’s another level that we have to get to in that preparation,” she said.
France, meanwhile, completed a perfect group-stage campaign with three victories, following wins over Hungary and South Korea.
The French side now advances to the quarter-finals on Thursday with considerable momentum and an impressive shooting record behind it.
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For D’Tigress, the 111-56 defeat is a sobering end to a tournament that fell well short of the heights reached in Paris. Yet Nigeria’s continental dominance and recent Olympic breakthrough provide a foundation from which Wakama and her players can begin a determined rebuild.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
