By VICTOR OKOYE

Nigeria have strengthened their grip on eighth place in the FIBA Women’s World Ranking after D’Tigress finished fourth in Group A of the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers, winning two of five games.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that D’Tigress recorded victories over Colombia and the Philippines, but suffered defeats to South Korea, France and Germany during the qualifying series.

In spite of the mixed results, the reigning African champions had already secured qualification for the World Cup after clinching the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2025 title.

Nigeria sealed a fifth consecutive and seventh overall crown with a 78–64 victory over Mali in the final played in Abidjan, underlining their continental dominance.

The 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup is scheduled to hold from Sept. 4 to Sept. 13, in Berlin.

The 16-team competition will take place at the Max-Schmeling-Halle, marking Germany’s second time hosting the tournament.

Meanwhile, U.S. maintained top position after an unbeaten run in San Juan, while several nations climbed the FIBA Women World Ranking following strong outings at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.

France emerged the biggest mover, rising to second place globally after overtaking Australia with a flawless five wins in Lyon-Villeurbanne, including dominant victories by wide margins.

Belgium narrowly missed the top five but now trail China by less than a point after an impressive unbeaten campaign in Wuhan, highlighted by a statement win over the Asian side.

Japan returned to the top 10, climbing from 11th after securing qualification for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin with wins over Canada and Argentina.

Host nation Germany also improved, moving from 12th to 11th after recording four notable victories in the qualifiers, including a win over African champions Nigeria.

Senegal and Argentina recorded the biggest gains in Africa and the Americas, rising to 23rd and 24th respectively after remaining in contention until the final day of qualifiers.

The Philippines made history on debut with a first-ever global win, jumping nine places to 30th, while South Sudan entered the top 50 for the first time, rising 13 spots to 42nd.

The updated rankings will determine seedings for the World Cup draw on April 21, while Austria impressed in the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers, climbing nine places to 73rd.

Top 10 Rankings: United States, France, Australia, China, Belgium, Spain, Canada, Nigeria, Brazil, Japan. (NAN)

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