Nigeria’s D’Tigress return to action against China today, hoping to bounce back from their narrow exhibition defeat in Haikou.
The reigning African champions lost 70-67 to China in Friday’s opening game of their preparatory series ahead of the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
D’Tigress will have another opportunity to test themselves against the Asian giants as coach Rena Wakama continues to fine-tune her squad for the global tournament in Berlin, Germany.
The narrow defeat offered Nigeria valuable preparation against a strong Chinese side, with the team now looking to improve their execution and defensive organisation in the second meeting.
The China assignment is part of an intensive build-up programme designed to give D’Tigress quality opposition before the World Cup.
After completing their fixtures in Haikou, Nigeria will travel to Spain for more friendly matches against Spain and Belgium in Tenerife from August 15 to 24.
They will then move to Zaragoza for additional warm-up games against Mali and Puerto Rico between August 25 and September 3.
D’Tigress World Cup Schedule
Nigeria will begin their World Cup campaign against South Korea on September 4 before facing Hungary on September 5.
They will conclude their Group B fixtures against France on September 7.
Result/Fixtures at a Glance
China 70-67 Nigeria — August 7
Next friendly: China vs Nigeria — August 9
World Cup Fixtures
September 4: Nigeria vs South Korea — 1:30pm WAT
September 5: Nigeria vs Hungary — 1:15pm WAT
September 7: Nigeria vs France — 1:30pm WAT
D’Tigress will be eager to respond against China as their preparations intensify ahead of their World Cup campaign in Berlin.
