By Hosea Parah
Ahead of what will be her second FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup appearance for Nigeria, Zhejiang Golden Bulls’ player, Ezinne Kalu, has urged Nigerians in and around Berlin, Germany, to show up and support the D’Tigress as they compete at the global tournament.
The 2026 event will kick off on Friday, and the 34-year-old D’Tigress guard is calling on Nigerians in Germany to come out and support the team.
“We are heading to Berlin for the World Cup, and we need our people there to support us.s. So, we need every Nigerian near Berlin to come through. Bring your flag, your voice and energy,” Kalu said.
D’Tigress head into the tournament on the back of a fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s AfroBasket title, following their hard-fought 78-64 victory over Mali in the 2025 final.
Their continental dominance followed a historic run at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where D’Tigress became the first African team to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games.
Nigeria secured their place at the 2026 World Cup after winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket. They also participated in the World Cup qualifying tournament in Lyon-Villeurbanne, France, where they endured a difficult campaign, losing three of their five games.
D’Tigress will make their third appearance at the World Cup in Germany, having previously featured at the 2006 and 2018 editions. Their best performance came in 2018, when they reached the quarter-finals and finished eighth overall.
Nigeria are in Group B, and will begin their campaign against South Korea on Friday, followed by Hungary on Saturday, and France in their last group game on Monday.
Kalu has been an integral part of the team for a decade, having broken into the national side during the 2016 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Since then, she has won five consecutive Women’s AfroBasket titles with Nigeria in 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025.
She also featured at the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Spain, averaging 10.6 points, three rebounds and 4.1 assists per game as D’Tigress bowed out in the quarter-finals.