D’Tigress guard Ezinne Kalu has called on Nigerians in and around Berlin to fill the stands when Nigeria begin their 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign on Friday in Germany.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, the 34-year-old asked fans to come out in numbers, saying: “We are heading to Berlin for the World Cup, and we need our people there to support us. So we need every Nigerian near Berlin to come through. Bring your flag, your voice and energy.”
The call to action lands on the back of a fifth straight FIBA Women’s AfroBasket crown, sealed with a 78-64 win over Mali in the 2025 final. D’Tigress also reached the Olympic quarter-finals at Paris 2024, a first for any African team.
The Berlin tournament marks Kalu’s second World Cup with Nigeria. She debuted at the 2018 edition in Spain, averaging 10.6 points, three rebounds and 4.1 assists as D’Tigress bowed out in the quarter-finals and finished eighth. She has also lifted the AfroBasket title in 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025.
Nigeria enter Group play against South Korea on Friday, then face Hungary on Saturday and host nation France on Monday. Their place in the field was secured through the 2025 AfroBasket, though a difficult qualifying campaign in Lyon-Villeurbanne saw them lose three of five games.
