The Federation of International Basketball Associations has confirmed Nigeria’s withdrawal from international basketball competitions by inviting Mali to replace D’Tigress at the upcoming FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.

FIBA, in a statement released in Mies, Switzerland on Thursday, said it was inviting Mali to replace Nigeria in view of its position as the next ranked team from Group B of the qualifiers.

Nigeria’s D’Tigress had qualified for the global event at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament held at Belgrade, Serbia in February.

The World Cup is scheduled for Australia from Sept. 22 to Oct. 1.

But in May, Nigeria’s Federal Government said it was withdrawing Nigerian teams from international competitions for a period of two years.

Nigeria’s withdrawal was as a result of the protracted leadership crisis in the Nigeria Basketball Federation.