D’TIGRESS have risen to unprecedented heights in the FIBA women’s ranking following their success in the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket in Cote d’Ivoire this month.
The Nigerian women’s national basketball team defeated Mali 78-64 in the Women’s AfroBasket final to claim a record fifth straight title and a seventh overall in the continental competition.
The victory propelled D’Tigress to eighth in the world in the ranking, making them the first-ever team from Africa to reach the FIBA ranking top 10, for both men and women.
The African champions, who also reached the Olympics quarter-finals for the first time at Paris 2024, leapt from their previous 11th position, garnering 640 points, according to the ranking released today.
D’Tigress have not only become the first team to ever win the Women’s AfroBasket title five times in a row, they have also recorded a remarkable 29 straight victories in the competition, a streak stretching back to 2015.
In the global FIBA women’s ranking, the United States of America hold on to top spot with 880.9 points, followed by Australia (719.6) and France (719.2), with China (712.7) and Belgium (702.1) completing the top five.
Spain are sixth, Canada seventh, Nigeria eighth, Brazil ninth and Serbia 10th.
For their success, D’Tigress were rewarded by President Bola Tinubu with $100,000 each, apartments in Abuja and national honours.