Eight teams converge in Lagos from September 28 to October 3 for the 2026 Zenith Bank/NBBF Women’s Basketball League Final 8
Zenith Bank/NBBF Final 8: Eight Teams Battle for 2026 Women’s Basketball Title
By Lukman OMIKUNLE
The battle for the 2026 Zenith Bank/Nigeria Basketball Federation Women’s Basketball League title has reached its decisive stage, with eight of the country’s top teams set to converge on Lagos for the national Final 8.
The highly anticipated championship playoff is scheduled to hold from September 28 to October 3, 2026, at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, as the contenders fight for national honours.
Nigeria Customs, AS Sky Queens, Titans, Air Warriors, MFM, First Bank, Victoria Queens and Bayelsa Blue Whales secured their places in the Final 8 after emerging from fiercely contested Atlantic and Savannah Conference campaigns.
The absence of defending champions Dolphins Basketball Club has added another layer of intrigue to this year’s championship race. 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 therefore not be able to defend their title.
With the defending champions out of contention, the 2026 crown is guaranteed to have a new owner.
Several of the remaining contenders, however, have the pedigree and experience required to seize the opportunity.
First Bank, last year’s runners-up, enter the decisive stage as the most successful team in the history of the competition, having won a record nine league titles. The Lagos-based side will be seeking to turn its rich championship history into another title-winning campaign.
MFM also arrives with a strong championship pedigree after securing back-to-back league titles in 2023 and 2024. Its presence among the Final 8 means the battle for the trophy will feature teams with a combination of experience, ambition and established winning traditions.
The competition is expected to showcase some of the country’s finest female basketball talents as the teams compete for the opportunity to be crowned national champions.
The 2026 Final 8 also highlights the continuing development of the Zenith Bank/NBBF Women’s Basketball League, which has for more than two decades provided a platform for female basketball players to compete at the highest domestic level while developing the skills required for professional careers.
Zenith Bank has remained the sole sponsor of the National Women’s Basketball League since 2005 through its partnership with the Nigeria Basketball Federation.
The bank’s longstanding involvement has supported the continuity of the women’s league and helped create an avenue for emerging talents to be identified, nurtured and exposed to competitive basketball.
The domestic competition 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 league.
Beyond national team development, the competition provides young female athletes with opportunities to sharpen their skills while building confidence, discipline, teamwork and the experience needed to pursue professional sporting careers.
With the Final 8 now underway in Lagos, the focus shifts entirely to the teams and their quest for the championship trophy.
The tournament promises a battle in which every game could prove decisive, with the eight contenders knowing that only one will leave the National Stadium as the 2026 champions.
“Eight teams. One destination. One crown,” the statement said, capturing the stakes of the championship race.
For Zenith Bank, its involvement in the women’s basketball league forms part of a broader corporate social responsibility and community-development commitment aimed at creating opportunities and supporting initiatives that affect the lives of young Nigerians.
The bank pointed to several community-focused projects associated with its wider social investment efforts, including the reconstruction and beautification of Ajose Adeogun Street and Roundabout, the annual Zenith Bank Youth Parade and Light-Up Ceremony, and the construction of ICT centres in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The bank also cited the construction of the ultra-modern Iga Iduganran Primary Healthcare Centre among its community-development initiatives.
Through its sustained support for women’s basketball and its other social investment programmes, Zenith Bank said its commitment extends beyond banking to supporting opportunities for young people, community development and the growth of Nigeria’s next generation.
As the Final 8 takes centre stage in Lagos, attention will now turn to which of the eight contenders can navigate the decisive championship battles and claim the vacant crown.
