Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, the D’Tigress, have taken a big leap in the latest world rankings released by the Federation of International Basketball Association (FIBA) on Thursday.
The Rena Wakama-led side are now ranked eighth in the world thanks to a historic showing in the women’s basketball tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The D’Tigress, who were ranked lowest heading in the Olympics, have moved up four places and remain the highest ranked African team in the power rankings.
Sitting majestically at #8 in the latest @FIBA Women’s World Ranking presented by @Nike!
We are who we say we are! D’Tigress!! pic.twitter.com/umkVDQuezC
— DTigress (@DtigressNG) August 29, 2024
The Nigerian ladies made history in Paris, becoming the first African team to win more than one game at the Olympics after beating both Australia and Canada, and they also became the first African team—male or female—to progress into the quarterfinals before falling to the United States after a valiant effort in the last eight.
They have now added to their recently amassed laurels, becoming the first African team in history (male or female) to be ranked in the top 10.
The USA retained their top spot, while Australia and France moved into second and third, respectively. China dropped two places, while Spain moved from fourth to fifth to complete the top five.
Meanwhile, Mali, Senegal, Mozambique, and Cameroon complete the top five African teams in the rankings.
