The Junior D’Tigress, Nigeria’s U-19 women’s basketball team, has been selected to play Portugal, Canada, and China in Group B of the 2025 FIBA U-19 Women’s World Cup in Czechia.
The competition will take place from July 12 to July 20. The draw was held in the host nation on Tuesday.
Australia, France, Brazil, and Mali are in Group C, while the United States, Israel, Hungary, and Korea are in Group A. Argentina, Japan, Spain, and Czechia are the hosts in Group D.
To qualify for the tournament, which will mark their maiden appearance at the world stage, the Junior D’Tigress finished runners-up at last year’s U-18 Women’s AfroBasket and now have a second chance to make their U-19 women’s basketball debut in Brno, Czech Republic.
They were edged by Mali in the final of the African tournament in South Africa last September.
Nigerian guard Marvis Hembam, also known as Wandoo, who was a key part of Nigeria’s World Cup qualification with an average of nine points and three assists at last year’s U-18 African Championship in Pretoria, South Africa, says the World Cup opportunity could be a game-changer for the younger D’Tigress.
“The year 2024 was a season of achievement and the biggest step in the journey of my career,” she told FIBA.
“Getting the ticket to represent Africa was the best moment for Nigerians in a long time. Nigeria has not participated in the World Cup, so getting the ticket was a moment of joy and prayers answered,” the 18-year-old explained.
“It has a lot of positive effects for women’s basketball [in Nigeria], more attention will be given to us and a lot more will follow. In fact, I describe it as a prayer answered and the beginning of a great step in my career and that of my teammates as we travel through life in basketball.
“We are going to make Nigerians and the world proud. We are going to make a good history for ourselves and the country,” she stated.
In 2010, Nigeria finished runners-up at the FIBA U-18 Women’s AfroBasket, a result that earned them a place at the 2011 U-19 World Championship in Chile but the girls couldn’t make the tournament.
