Nigeria’s D’Tigress have suffered a disappointing start to their 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign, falling 99–81 to South Korea in their opening Group B fixture in Berlin on Friday.

The African champions entered the tournament hoping to make a strong statement, but South Korea proved too difficult to contain, gradually pulling away to secure an 18-point victory.

The Koreans took control early, leading 26–22 after the first quarter.

D’Tigress responded in the second quarter and managed to keep the contest within touching distance, but South Korea still held a 48–45 advantage going into halftime.

Nigeria remained in the fight during the third quarter, with the deficit standing at six points as South Korea entered the final period with a 68–62 lead.

However, the game slipped away from D’Tigress in the fourth quarter.

South Korea capitalised on Nigeria’s turnovers and widened the gap before eventually sealing the 99–81 victory.

Park Ji-hyun was the standout performer for South Korea, finishing with 27 points to lead all scorers.

Nigeria captain Amy Okonkwo led the way for D’Tigress with 22 points, but her individual effort was not enough to prevent the African champions from suffering defeat in their opening game.

The result will be a frustrating one for Rena Wakama’s side, particularly after Nigeria had been preparing for the tournament with ambitions of improving on their previous World Cup performances.

D’Tigress qualified for the tournament after winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket and were drawn in Group B alongside South Korea, Hungary and France.

Despite the setback, Nigeria still have an opportunity to recover quickly.

D’Tigress will face Hungary in their next group match on Saturday, before taking on France in their final first-round fixture.

With the group stage still open, Nigeria will need a much-improved performance against Hungary to keep their hopes of progressing to the knockout phase firmly alive.