2026 Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League Starts This Weekend

The 2026 Zenith Bank/NBBF Women’s Basketball League will begin this weekend as teams compete across Lagos and Jos.

The premier women’s basketball competition, sponsored by Zenith Bank in partnership with the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), will start at the Atlantic Conference in Lagos on 16 August. The Savannah Conference in Jos will begin on 17 August.

NBBF Secretary-General Amina Amanchi said preparations for the new season were almost complete. She confirmed that the competition would again feature two conferences, with Lagos hosting the Atlantic Conference and Jos hosting the Savannah Conference.

Four teams from each conference will qualify for the finals in Lagos after the first and second phases.

“The Lagos centre is the Atlantic Conference and the league starts on 16 August, while that of Jos, which is the Savannah Conference, starts on 17 August,” Amanchi said.

Eight teams will compete in Lagos, including former champions First Bank, Sunshine Angels, IGP Queens, First Deep Water, Delta Force, MFM, Dolphins and Bayelsa Whales.

The Jos conference will feature Nigeria Customs, Royal Aces, Titans, Nasarawa Amazons, Kada Angels, Nigeria Army, Plateau Rocks and Air Warriors of Abuja.

Zenith Bank Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dame Dr Adaora Umeoji, said the bank was pleased to continue supporting the women’s basketball league.

“We look forward to this every year because we are proud that this tournament has, over the years, produced superstars for Nigeria and placed Nigeria above all other countries on the continent,” Umeoji said.

She expressed hope that the 2026 season would produce more players capable of earning places in D’Tigress, Nigeria’s senior women’s national team.

“This time, we expect some players to emerge and transit to the next level in the national team,” she added.

The women’s basketball league will provide established players with another competitive platform while giving emerging talents an opportunity to catch the attention of national-team selectors.

Which team do you expect to make the biggest impact in the 2026 season?