The race for the 2026 Zenith Bank/NBBF Women’s Basketball League title enters its decisive stage today as the nation’s top eight teams converge on the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, for the national Finals.
The competition, scheduled to run from September 28 to October 3, will see Nigeria Customs, AS Sky Queens, Titans, Air Warriors, MFM, First Bank, Victoria Queens and Bayelsa Blue Whales battle for national honours.
The Final 8 teams secured their places after fiercely contested campaigns in the Atlantic and Savannah Conferences, setting the stage for what promises to be an intense championship showdown.
However, the absence of defending champions Dolphins Basketball Club has thrown the title race wide open.
Dolphins, who defeated First Bank in last year’s final to lift the trophy, failed to finish among the top four teams in the Atlantic Conference and will not defend their crown.
With the reigning champions out of contention, a new winner is guaranteed to emerge.
Among the teams seeking to seize the opportunity is First Bank, last year’s runners-up and the most successful side in the history of the competition, with a record nine league titles to its name.
MFM will also enter the Finals with considerable championship pedigree, having secured back-to-back league titles in 2023 and 2024.
The clash of experience, ambition and championship history is expected to provide a fitting climax to another competitive season of women’s basketball in Nigeria.
For more than two decades, the league has remained a major platform for the discovery and development of female basketball talents across the country. Zenith Bank has been the sole sponsor of the National Women’s Basketball League since 2005.
Through, its partnership with the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), the bank has continued to support the development of women’s basketball by sustaining a competitive platform where players can discover, nurture and sharpen their talents.
The domestic league has also served as an important pathway to Nigeria’s national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, with several players who have represented the country emerging through the competition.
Beyond the national team, the league provides young female athletes with opportunities to develop skills, confidence, discipline, teamwork and professional sporting careers.
As the spotlight now turns to Lagos, the eight finalists will have one ultimate objective, lifting the 2026 championship trophy.
For Zenith Bank, its longstanding sponsorship of the league goes beyond supporting a sporting competition. It forms part of the bank’s broader commitment to creating opportunities and contributing to the development of young Nigerians and communities.
With eight teams, one trophy and six days of intense competition ahead, Lagos is set to become the centre of Nigerian women’s basketball as the battle for the crown reaches its climax.
The bank’s community-focused initiatives include the reconstruction and beautification of Ajose Adeogun Street and Roundabout, the annual Zenith Bank Youth Parade and Light-Up Ceremony, construction of ICT centres in tertiary institutions across Nigeria, and the construction of the ultra-modern Iga Iduganran Primary Healthcare Centre.