D’Tigress Fall to South Korea in World Cup Opening Game
Pecohub D’Tigress of Nigeria lost to South Korea 99-81 in their first game of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup.
The Rena Wakama-led ladies were outclassed by the Koreans at the Berlin Arena in Germany on Friday.
D’Tigress were down by the end of the first quarter, with the Koreans ahead 26-22.
Nigeria improved their performance in the second, but South Korea maintained a slight upper hand, with the match ending 48-45 at halftime.
The Koreans held to their lead in the third quarter, 68-62, before blowing the gap wider in the final quarter to secure an 18-point victory.
Korea’s Jihyun Park led the game’s scoring chart with 27 points. Amy Okonkwo, D’Tigress captain, placed second with 22 points, which proved little in a match where her teammates surrendered numerous turnovers.
The World Cup began on September 4 in Berlin, Germany, and is billed to run through September 13.
D’Tigress qualified for the FIBA World Cup after winning the women’s Afrobasket in late 2025.
Nigeria were earlier drawn in Group B alongside France, South Korea and Hungary.
The top team in each group will qualify automatically for the quarter-finals. The first and second runners-up in each group will proceed to the qualification round, and the winners will join the top four teams in the final eight
The team will hope to surpass the quarter-final record they set in Tenerife, Spain, in 2018.
