African champions Nigeria suffered their first defeat in the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifiers, losing 60-77 to South Korea at the Astroballe Arena on Thursday.
South Korea led 20-16 after the first quarter, 36-32 at half-time and 58-51 after three periods before pulling away in the final stanza. The result ended D’Tigress’ unbeaten run since their last loss to the United States in the 2024 Olympic quarter-finals.
The team had opened the qualifiers with a convincing 70-37 victory over Colombia on Wednesday. Coach Rena Wakama’s side secured automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup after winning the 2025 Women’s Afrobasket and is one of only five teams — alongside Germany (hosts), Belgium, the United States and Australia — guaranteed a place at the global finals.
Nigeria is using the European-based qualifiers to improve its world ranking. The team faces the Philippines on Saturday in its next Group D fixture.
