Nigeria’s D’Tigress have retained their position as the highest-ranked African nation in women’s basketball, staying at eighth in the latest FIBA World Ranking Women, presented by Nike. The ranking followed the FINA Women’s World Cup 2026 in Berlin, where the five-time defending African champions finished 16th.
While several nations shuffled positions inside the top 20 on the back of their World Cup campaigns, D’Tigress remained static. Reigning world champions the United States topped the rankings after a perfect 6-0 run in Berlin, with runners-up France tightening their grip on second place. Bronze medallists Spain climbed three places onto the podium, while hosts Germany posted the biggest jump in the top 40, rising seven places after reaching the semi-finals for the first time.
D’Tigress lost three group-stage games in Berlin, falling to Korea, Hungary and France. A difficult group draw limited further ranking gains from the tournament itself, but the ranking system rewards consistent results over time. Nigeria reached the World Cup off a fifth consecutive AfroBasket title, extending an unbeaten continental run that dates back to 2015.
Nigeria first broke into the world’s top 10 after their Olympic quarter-final run in Paris and have held African leadership ever since. They sit well clear of continental rivals Mali, who sit further down the top 20.
