By Daily Sports Nigeria on March 25, 2026

Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, will face Los Angeles Sparks in a historic preseason fixture during their upcoming tour of the United States, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The fixture, announced by the WNBA franchise, will take place on April 25 at Viejas Arena in San Diego, where the African champions will become the first national team from the continent to face a WNBA side.

The encounter is also set to be the first-ever meeting between both teams, which underlines the expanding global reach of the women’s game.

In confirming the development, the Sparks highlighted the significance of the matchup and its place within their preseason schedule.

“The Sparks will open preseason play on Saturday, April 25 at 12 p.m., hosting the Nigerian Women’s National Team at Viejas Arena on the campus of San Diego State University,” the club stated.

The game will also represent the Sparks’ first appearance in San Diego since May 2010, when they hosted the Chinese Women’s National Team in the first WNBA fixture held in the city, securing a 78-58 victory in that encounter.

For D’Tigress, the clash further cements their status as a rising force in international basketball, having claimed a record fifth consecutive AfroBasket title to arrive in the United States as reigning continental champions.

The tour forms part of broader preparations approved by the Nigeria Basketball Federation as the team gears up for a demanding international calendar.

Two days after the clash with the Sparks, D’Tigress will face Minnesota Lynx on April 27 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, in another high-profile exhibition that forms part of the Lynx’s preseason schedule alongside fixtures against the Washington Mystics and expansion side Toronto Tempo.

The Lynx encounter will mark only the fourth time a WNBA team has faced an international side, although Nigeria’s squad is no stranger to elite American opposition, having previously competed against the United States national team at major global tournaments.

The US tour is part of preparations for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, scheduled to hold in Berlin from September 4 to 13, with the draw set for April 21 at Kraftwerk Berlin.

D’Tigress endured a mixed campaign during the qualifying series in March, recording victories over Colombia and the Philippines but suffering defeats to South Korea, France and Germany.

However, qualification had already been secured through their triumph at the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket, with the qualifiers serving primarily as part of their build-up.

The NBBF board had earlier outlined the importance of the tour and other international engagements as part of its strategic plans for 2026.

Source Punch Ng

Posted March 25, 2026

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