Zenith Bank/NBBF Women’s Basketball League Tips Off In Lagos, Jos

The 2026 Zenith Bank/Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Women’s Basketball League will tip off this weekend with teams battling for supremacy at the Atlantic and Savannah Conference centres in Lagos and Jos.

The premier women’s basketball competition, sponsored by Zenith Bank Plc in partnership with the NBBF, is scheduled to begin in Lagos on 16 August, while the Savannah Conference will commence in Jos on 17 August.

NBBF Secretary-General, Amina Amanchi, confirmed that preparations for the new season were in the final stages, with the federation’s board, led by Engineer Musa Kida, ready for the commencement of the competition.

Amanchi said the league would be played in two conferences, with the Atlantic Conference based in Lagos and the Savannah Conference in Jos.

Four teams from each conference will qualify for the finals in Lagos after the first and second phases of the competition are completed.

“The Lagos centre is the Atlantic Conference and the league starts on 16 August, while that of Jos, which is the Savannah Conference, starts on 17 August,” Amanchi said.

Eight teams will compete in the Atlantic Conference, with former champions First Bank, Sunshine Angels, IGP Queens, First Deep Water, Delta Force, MFM, Dolphins and Bayelsa Whales set to battle for places in the next phase.

The Savannah Conference will feature Nigeria Customs, Royal Aces, Titans, Nasarawa Amazons, Kada Angels, Nigeria Army, Plateau Rocks and Air Warriors of Abuja.

Zenith Bank Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dame Dr Adaora Umeoji, said the bank was delighted to continue its partnership with the flagship women’s basketball competition.

She noted that the league had played an important role in discovering and nurturing players who have gone on to represent Nigeria at the highest level.

“We look forward to this every year because we are proud that this tournament has, over the years, produced superstars for Nigeria and placed Nigeria above all other countries on the continent,” Umeoji said.

She also highlighted the achievements of Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, D’Tigress, at the Olympic Games and FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, expressing optimism that the league would once again produce players capable of breaking into the national team.

“This time, we expect some players to emerge and transit to the next level in the national team,” she added.

The 2026 season is expected to provide another platform for Nigeria’s leading female basketball players to compete at the domestic level while giving emerging talents an opportunity to attract national-team attention.