MFM Basketball Club have won the 2026 NBBF/Zenith Bank Women's Basketball League, beating record champions First Bank 66-64 after overtime in Saturday's final in Lagos. The victory delivered MFM a third title in four years.
A total of N19.5m was distributed in team and individual prize money. MFM took N7.5m for the title, First Bank collected N5m as runners-up, and Nigeria Customs won the N3m bronze prize after a 51-38 win over ASO SKY Queens in the third-place match. The three team prizes total N15.5m, with individual awards adding another N4m.
MFM's Ioumabo Pius, named Most Valuable Player, received N2m: N500,000 from Zenith Bank for the MVP award, N500,000 for making the Tournament Top 5, and N500,000 each from Dam Foundations and Xejet. The other Top 5 players, each paid N500,000 by Zenith Bank, were Favour Anari of ASO SKY Queens, Nwaado Hemban of MFM, Nkem Akaraiwe of Nigeria Customs and Marilyn Ofidibe of First Bank.
Representing Zenith Bank Group Managing Director Dame Dr Adaora Umeoji, Executive Director Adamu Lawani reaffirmed the bank's 20-year commitment to women's basketball. MFM captain Okoh Ukamaka thanked General Overseer Dr Daniel Olukoya and his wife for backing the team.
MFM and First Bank will represent Nigeria at the FIBA Africa Zone 3 qualifiers for the 2026 Africa Women's Basketball League, scheduled for December 11 to 20 in Alexandria, Egypt.
