"I want to praise the South Korean team; it's truly a great team," even African champions acknowledge... Nigerian coach: "I know what they do when they play together."

*This content was translated by AI.

It was a performance that had to be acknowledged as competitive. The Korean women's basketball team soundly defeated "Africa's champion" Nigeria, starting the World Cup on a high note.

The Korean team Yeo Ja-nong-gu (CEO), led by coach Park Soo-ho, defeated Nigeria 99-81 in the first match of Group B of the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup held at the Berlin Arena in Germany on the 4th (Korea time).

The opponent was by no means easy to handle. Nigeria, the strongest team in Africa, claimed the title at last year's FIBA Women's AfroBasket, achieving a historic fifth consecutive championship.

However, the story changed whenever they faced South Korea. After defeating Nigeria 77-60 in the final round of the World Cup qualifiers last March, South Korea continued to demonstrate its strength with another decisive victory by a margin of 18 points this time.

They particularly demonstrated high-level execution in offense. Korea recorded a remarkable 32 assists on the day, showcasing organic offensive play. Their two-point shooting percentage reached 53.7%, while their three-point shooting percentage also hit 50%.

Park Ji-hyun of the LA Sparks, who plays in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), exploded for a team-high 27 points, including three 3-pointers, while captain Kang Yi-seul of Woori Bank added 20 points by hitting six 3-pointers.

Even the defeated Nigeria had no choice but to acknowledge South Korea's performance.

According to Nigerian outlet Sports Day, captain Amy Okonko said after the match, "It was a tough game. South Korea is really a good team."

He added, "South Korea moves the ball a lot and takes many shots," explaining that "we failed to defend against those aspects properly."

Rena Wakama, the Nigerian coach, also highly praised South Korea. Coach Wakama said, "South Korea is well-disciplined and its players are very well connected," adding, "I had the opportunity to sit and watch South Korea's training sessions directly, and I really want to offer many compliments."

It was also emphasized that South Korea is not a team that relies solely on individual ability.

Manager Wakamatsu said, "Korean players play together. They know exactly what they want to do," and added that they "execute the desired plays with great intention."

He also explained, "If the defense doesn't function properly or players fail to communicate against such a team, we could be in for a very long night."

Nigeria actually faced a long night. Korea held a narrow lead of 68-62 heading into the fourth quarter, maintaining a tight contest, but unleashed an offensive explosion in the final period. While Nigeria scored just 19 points, Korea poured in 31 points to decide the outcome in one fell swoop.

In particular, Park Ji-hyun, along with Kang Yi-seul, Choi Yi-sam, and Lee So-hee, successively hit shots from the outside, breaking down Nigeria's defense at the crucial moment.

Ultimately, South Korea defeated Africa's strongest team once again even without key center Park Ji-su (Cheongju KB).

A total of 16 countries participated in this tournament, divided into four groups of four teams each for the group stage. The top team from each group advances directly to the quarterfinals, while the second- and third-place teams compete in qualification matches to challenge for a spot in the tournament bracket.

South Korea secured a favorable position by facing group-stage rival Nigeria in its opening match.

South Korea will face "favorite" France in the group stage's second match at 3:45 a.m. on the 6th, followed by a third-round match against Hungary at 9:30 p.m. on the 7th.

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*This content was translated by AI.