Champions Return: D’Tigress Face Rwanda in 2025 AfroBasket Opener

Champions Return: D’Tigress Face Rwanda in 2025 AfroBasket Opener

By Admin 

Reigning champions Nigeria will tip off their FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2025 campaign with a high-profile opening clash against Rwanda on Friday in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, as the D’Tigress begin their quest for an unprecedented fifth consecutive continental title, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Since 2017, the Nigerian women’s basketball team has asserted unrelenting dominance over the African basketball landscape, clinching titles in Mali (2017), Senegal (2019), Cameroon (2021), and Rwanda (2023). Now, with a historic fifth straight championship within reach, the team enters the tournament with a legacy on the line — and the confidence of proven winners.

Leading the charge once again is head coach Rena Wakama, who made headlines in 2023 as the first woman to guide a team to the AfroBasket title. Appointed just weeks before that tournament, Wakama delivered gold in spectacular fashion, silencing critics and inspiring a new era in women’s coaching. She returns to Abidjan with a largely familiar and battle-tested squad.

The 12-player roster includes eight members of the 2023 title-winning team, reinforcing a culture of continuity, experience, and cohesion. Among the returning stars are veteran guards Promise Amukamara and Ezinne Kalu — the latter making a celebrated return to the squad — alongside dynamic shooter Elizabeth Balogun. In the frontcourt, Nigeria boasts the versatile Amy Okonkwo and imposing Nicole Enabosi, while Blessing Ejiofor and Murjanatu Musa provide defensive stability in the paint.

Also named to the roster are seasoned contributors Victoria Macaulay, Pallas Kunayi-Akpannah, Vera Ojenwa, Ifunaya Okoro, and Sarah Ogoke — forming a squad that blends experience, athleticism, and tactical acumen.

Their opening opponent, Rwanda, represents a rising force in African women’s basketball, having reached the semifinals in 2023 on home soil. While the East African side arrives with momentum and belief, Nigeria's championship pedigree, roster depth, and strategic leadership position them as clear favourites in the group stage encounter.

For D’Tigress, the objectives are unambiguous: defend the crown, make history, and reassert their status as Africa’s undisputed queens of the court.