D’Tigress Holds 8th Spot In FIBA Women’s Rankings

Nigeria’s D’Tigress have strengthened their hold on eighth place in the FIBA Women’s World Ranking following a fourth-place finish in Group A of the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers. The team won two of five games, defeating Colombia and the Philippines, but lost to South Korea, France, and Germany.

Despite the mixed results, the reigning African champions had already secured World Cup qualification by winning the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2025 title. Nigeria claimed their fifth consecutive and seventh overall crown with a 78–64 victory over Mali in the final held in Abidjan, affirming their continental dominance.

The 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup is scheduled for Sept. 4–13 in Berlin, with the 16-team competition taking place at Max-Schmeling-Halle, marking Germany’s second time hosting the tournament.

Meanwhile, the United States maintained its top spot after an unbeaten run in San Juan, while several other nations climbed the rankings following strong showings at the World Cup Qualifiers.

France emerged as the biggest mover, rising to second place globally after defeating Australia and recording five straight wins in Lyon-Villeurbanne. Belgium narrowly missed the top five, now trailing China by less than a point following an unbeaten campaign in Wuhan.

Japan returned to the top 10, climbing from 11th, while host nation Germany improved from 12th to 11th after four key victories, including a win over Nigeria. Senegal and Argentina recorded the largest gains in Africa and the Americas, rising to 23rd and 24th, respectively.

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

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

Top 10 FIBA Women’s World Rankings:

United States
France
Australia
China
Belgium
Spain
Canada
Nigeria