African champions Nigeria D’Tigress fell to a 90-55 defeat against Belgium in their 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup warm-up friendly on Saturday, www.aclsports.com reports.
Belgium turned a closely contested first half into a comfortable victory after the interval at the Pabellón de Deportes Santiago Martín, with D’Tigress going into halftime just six points behind at 39-33. Nigeria kept the contest within reach after Belgium opened with a 24-14 first-quarter lead, winning the second period 19-15 to cut the deficit.
The game swung decisively in Belgium’s favour in the third quarter, as they scored 32 points while restricting D’Tigress to 11. The scoring run pushed the advantage to 71-44 heading into the final period, with Nigeria managing 11 points while Belgium added 19 to close out the 90-55 victory.
The result leaves Rena Wakama’s side with two more friendlies in Zaragoza, where they will face Mali and Puerto Rico between August 25 and September 3, before the World Cup tips off in Berlin, Germany, on September 4.
Nigeria will compete in Group B alongside France, Hungary and Korea Republic, opening their campaign against Korea Republic before facing Hungary on September 5 and rounding off the group stage against France on September 7.
