FirstBank Elephant Girls Clinch Zone 3 Title, Advance to WBLA Final Round in Cairo

FirstBank Elephant Girls clinched zone 3 Title and advance to WBLA Final Round in Cairo.

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that FirstBank Basketball Club of Nigeria, popularly known as the Elephant Girls, have emerged champions of the FIBA Africa Zone 3 Qualifiers, securing their place in the final round of the Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) set to take place in Cairo, Egypt, from December 5 to 14, 2025.

Competing as Nigeria’s sole representative, the Elephant Girls delivered a dominant and undefeated performance in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, winning all three games against top teams from Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Benin Republic, Ghana, and Togo.

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Their outstanding run featured a 66–55 victory over home favourites CSA of Côte d’Ivoire and a dramatic 63–59 comeback win against FBA of Côte d’Ivoire, after trailing by 20 points in the second quarter. The team’s resilience, tactical discipline, and mental toughness sealed their triumphant return to continental action after a six-year hiatus.

As Zone 3 champions and the only English-speaking team to qualify for the finals the Elephant Girls reaffirmed FirstBank’s decades-long commitment to elevating women’s sports in Nigeria and across Africa.

Olumuyiwa Olulaja, FirstBank’s Group Head of Human Capital Management and Development and Chairman of the Bank’s Sports Council, praised the team’s achievement.

“We are incredibly proud of the Elephant Girls for their outstanding performance,” Olulaja said. “They have once again shown the world the strength, resilience, and excellence that define FirstBank. Our commitment to supporting sports development in Nigeria and Africa remains unwavering, and this victory marks another milestone in our mission to promote excellence on the continental and global stage.”

The Elephant Girls earned their ticket to the Zone 3 Qualifiers after securing a Silver Medal at the Zenith Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Women’s Premier League.

With their qualification sealed, the team now turns its focus to Cairo, where they will represent Nigeria and the FirstBank brand as they chase continental glory in the 2025 WBLA Final Round.