The race for the 2026 Zenith Bank/NBBF Women’s Basketball League title enters its decisive stage as the nation’s top eight teams converge on the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, from September 28 to October 3 for the national Final 8.
Emerging from fiercely contested Atlantic and Savannah Conference campaigns, Nigeria Customs, AS Sky Queens, Titans, Air Warriors, MFM, First Bank, Victoria Queens and Bayelsa Blue Whales have secured their places in the battle for national honours.
This year’s competition promises a fresh chapter, with defending champions Dolphins Basketball Club missing from the Final 8 after failing to finish among the top four teams in the Atlantic Conference. Their absence leaves the championship wide open and guarantees a new champion will be crowned.
However, the trophy will be contested by teams boasting considerable championship pedigree.
First Bank, last year’s runners-up and the most successful team in the history of the competition, arrive with a record nine league titles. MFM, meanwhile, will draw confidence from its recent success, having won back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024.
With both teams among the Final 8, experience and ambition will be on display as the battle for the title unfolds in Lagos.
The quality of the competition reflects the growth of a league that has, for more than two decades, provided a platform for Nigeria’s leading female basketball talents to emerge, compete and develop.
At the centre of that development has been Zenith Bank, which has sponsored the National Women’s Basketball League since 2005.
Zenith Bank, in partnership with the Nigeria Basketball Federation, has supported the growth of women’s basketball by helping to sustain a competitive platform where young talents can be identified, nurtured and prepared for higher levels of the sport.
The league has also served as an important pathway to the national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, with several players who have represented Nigeria emerging through the domestic competition.
Beyond national team development, the league continues to provide young female athletes with opportunities to build confidence, sharpen their skills, develop discipline and teamwork, and pursue professional careers in basketball.
As the action shifts to Lagos, attention will centre on the eight teams battling for the ultimate prize and the opportunity to etch their names into the history of Nigerian women’s basketball.
For Zenith, its longstanding sponsorship of the Women’s Basketball League represents more than support for a sporting competition. It forms part of the bank’s broader commitment to creating opportunities, developing potential and contributing to the wellbeing of communities and young Nigerians.
That commitment is reflected in several community-focused initiatives, including the reconstruction and beautification of Ajose Adeogun Street and Roundabout, the annual Zenith Bank Youth Parade and Light-Up Ceremony, the construction of ICT centres in tertiary institutions across the country, and the development of the ultra-modern Iga Iduganran Primary Healthcare Centre, among others.
Through these initiatives and its enduring support for women’s basketball, Zenith Bank continues to contribute to sports development, community advancement and the empowerment of the next generation.