D’Tigress of Nigeria have cemented their legacy as queens of African basketball after defeating Mali 78-64 to win the 2025 Women’s Afrobasket Championship in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Led by coach Rena Wakama, the Nigerian ladies achieved an unprecedented fifth consecutive Afrobasket title, a feat no other country has accomplished in the tournament’s history.
The final, held at the Palais des Sports de Treichville on Sunday, saw D’Tigress not only claim the crown but also book an automatic ticket to the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin, Germany.
Nigeria’s road to the final was hard-fought. In the semi-final against Senegal, D’Tigress had to dig deep to overcome a tough challenge, with a spirited fourth-quarter performance sealing their spot in the final.
Against Mali, the match began with a scare as the West African rivals took a 26-21 lead by the end of the first quarter. But Nigeria clawed back to tie the game 41-41 at halftime.
The turning point came in the third quarter as D’Tigress displayed their class and took a 61-56 lead. They then shut out the Malians in the final stretch, limiting them to just eight points while cruising to a 14-point victory.
With this triumph, D’Tigress now boast a total of seven Women’s Afrobasket titles, including an unbroken streak of five, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, and now 2025. Remarkably, they remain unbeaten in Afrobasket competition for a decade, with their last loss dating back to October 2, 2015, against Cameroon.
Nigeria’s first Afrobasket title came in 2003, followed by another in 2005.
By Abdullahi Lamino Radio Nigeria, Headquarters Abuja
