Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, have been forced into a late change to their roster for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, with Maryam Dauda replacing Shay Ijiwoye.

Ijiwoye will not be eligible to play in the tournament following an eligibility technicality reportedly linked to administrative lapses.

Despite being ruled out of action, the Stanford guard will remain with the Nigerian delegation in Berlin and continue to support the team during the competition.

Dauda, who was part of the wider D’Tigress setup earlier in the year, now takes Ijiwoye’s place on the official World Cup roster.

The change comes as a setback for Ijiwoye, who had been included in Nigeria’s preparations for the global championship and was among a group of emerging players expected to gain valuable international experience.

The 2026 World Cup represents another major test for D’Tigress, who have established themselves as Africa’s leading women’s basketball nation in recent years.

Ijiwoye was part of the 21-player training camp roster named by head coach Rena Wakama in April as Nigeria prepared for a historic series of exhibition games against WNBA opposition. She was listed alongside established internationals including Ezinne Kalu, Promise Amukamara and Victoria Macaulay.  

The Stanford guard featured in Nigeria’s preparations and was identified as one of the younger players being integrated into the national team setup. ESPN reported that she appeared in 32 games for Stanford during the 2025-26 season, averaging 2.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists.  

Her replacement, Dauda, was also included in Wakama’s original 21-player training camp squad and has therefore been part of the national team’s wider preparation programme for the World Cup.  

The roster adjustment is particularly significant because the World Cup begins in Berlin on September 4, with Nigeria facing the best teams in the world after qualifying for the tournament through the FIBA qualification pathway.

D’Tigress enter the competition as reigning African champions and one of the continent’s most successful sporting teams.

Nigeria also remain the highest-ranked African team in the FIBA women’s world rankings. ESPN reported that D’Tigress were ranked eighth globally with 700.3 points, making them the only African nation inside the world’s top 10.  

The team’s preparations earlier in the year included landmark friendly games against the Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever in the United States, providing Wakama with an opportunity to assess her squad against elite opposition.  

With Dauda now taking Ijiwoye’s place on the official roster, attention will turn to how the adjustment affects Nigeria’s rotation and depth as the team begins its World Cup campaign.

For Ijiwoye, however, the disappointment of missing out on playing at the global tournament will be softened by remaining alongside her teammates in Berlin.

The situation also reflects the importance of administrative compliance in international basketball, where eligibility requirements must be satisfied before players can be cleared to compete.

D’Tigress will now look to put the late roster disruption behind them as they pursue another strong showing on the world stage and attempt to further build on Nigeria’s growing reputation in women’s basketball.