Zenith Bank/NBBF Women’s Basketball League Final 8 Set for Lagos

The race for the 2026 Zenith Bank/NBBF Women’s Basketball League title enters its decisive stage as Nigeria’s top eight teams converge on the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, from September 28 to October 3, 2026, for the national Finals.

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 final battle for national honours.

And there is plenty at stake.

Defending champions Dolphins Basketball Club will not be part of this year’s Final 8 after failing to finish among the top four teams in the Atlantic Conference. Dolphins claimed the title last year after defeating First Bank in the final, but their absence means a new champion will be crowned this season.

However, the battle for the trophy features teams with considerable championship pedigree.

First Bank, last year’s runners-up and the most successful team in the history of the competition, enter the Finals with a record nine league titles. MFM, meanwhile, will draw confidence from its recent success after winning back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024.

With both teams among the Final 8, experience, history and ambition will come together as the contenders fight for the coveted title.

The quality of the competition also highlights the growth of a league that has, for more than two decades, provided a platform for some of Nigeria’s finest female basketball talents to emerge, compete and develop.

At the centre of that journey has been Zenith Bank, which has been the sole sponsor of the National Women’s Basketball League since 2005.

Through its partnership with the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Zenith Bank has continued to support the development 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 Nigeria’s senior women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, with several players who have represented the country emerging from the domestic competition.

Beyond the national team, the league provides young female athletes with opportunities to develop their skills, confidence, discipline and teamwork while building pathways towards professional sporting careers.

Now, the spotlight shifts to Lagos.

With the defending champions absent and eight teams still in contention, the 2026 Finals promise another chapter in the history of Nigerian women’s basketball.

Eight teams. One destination. One crown.

For Zenith Bank, 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 platforms that provide opportunities, develop potential and contribute to the wellbeing of young Nigerians.

That commitment extends across several areas of community development, with notable 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 Nigeria.
• The construction of the ultra-modern Iga Iduganran Primary Healthcare Centre, among other initiatives.

Through these programmes and its longstanding support for women’s basketball, Zenith Bank continues to demonstrate a commitment to initiatives beyond banking, with emphasis on creating opportunities, supporting communities and contributing to the development of the next generation.

As the Final 8 battle begins in Lagos, attention now turns to the court, where one team will emerge as the 2026 Zenith Bank/NBBF Women’s Basketball League champion.