Nigeria’s women’s basketball powerhouse, D’Tigress, are one step closer to history as they prepare to defend their crown at the 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket.
The 2025 AfroBasket Women will be the 29th edition of the tournament and will be held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast from 25 July–3 August 2025.
The top four teams will qualify for one of the qualifying tournaments for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
The reigning champions Nigeria have been placed in what many are calling a “Group of Fire” alongside Mozambique and Rwanda, both fast-rising sides determined to challenge the throne.
D’Tigress defeated Senegal to win the 2023 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket Championship for the fourth consecutive time. Photo Credit: Imago
After dominating the continental scene for nearly a decade, D’Tigress are chasing an unprecedented fifth consecutive Afrobasket title—a feat no African nation has ever achieved in the women’s game.
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Already champions in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023, Nigeria now has its eyes firmly set on five-in-a-row.
2025 Afrobasket Groups:
Group A: Ivory Coast, Egypt, Angola
Group B: Mali, Cameroon, South Sudan
Group C: Senegal, Guinea, Uganda
Group D: Nigeria, Mozambique, Rwanda
Group D promises fireworks. Mozambique and Rwanda have made huge strides in recent years and will be eager to upset the balance of power. But Nigeria remains the team to beat.
The Woman Behind the Machine
At the heart of D’Tigress’ success is Coach Rena Wakama, who made history in 2023 as the first female coach to win an Afrobasket title.
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Just 32 at the time, Wakama not only led Nigeria to its sixth all-time title but also became the first coach to guide Nigeria to a victory over a top-three ranked team at the Olympics—a milestone that raised eyebrows globally.
Rena Wakama. Photo Credit: Imago
Her fearless leadership, combined with Nigeria’s stacked, experienced roster, has fans believing this team is nearly unstoppable.
Rena Wakama was named the new assistant coach at Chicago Sky of the US Women’s National Basketball Association (NWBA) in march 2025.
In basketball, it is not uncommon for coaches to work with both national teams and clubs simultaneously. Mike Brown remained an associate coach at Golden State Warriors while he led the D’Tigers to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
