Nigerian Basketball Team, D’Tigers Qualify For FIBA AfroBasket Championship

Nigeria’s male senior basketball team, D’Tigers, have overcome the challenge of uncertainty regarding their participation in this year’s FIBA AfroBasket championship.

The D’Tigers were declared ‘qualified’ for the tournament before their final qualifying match against Cape Verde on Sunday.

D’Tigers were set to face Group B leaders Cape Verde in this critical last game of the second qualifying phase on Sunday evening, needing an additional win to fortify their chances.

However, according to FIBA, all teams in Group B—including Cape Verde, Libya, Nigeria, and Uganda—would earn qualification for the tournament in Angola as the best fourth-placed team, regardless of the match outcomes.

FIBA’s announcement indicated that “the team that will finish fourth in this group will qualify as the best-fourth team of the AfroBasket qualifiers,” a resolution that nonetheless motivated D’Tigers to take control of their fate. They secured a commendable victory against Cape Verde, winning 77-62, thus completing the second qualifying window with an impressive record.

After facing hurdles in the first phase of the qualifiers last year with three losses, the D’Tigers embarked on a redemption journey in Libya. They kicked off their campaign by defeating host nation Libya 75-70 in their opening game, then showed resilience by overcoming a halftime deficit to achieve a decisive 87-67 victory over Uganda in their second Group B qualifier in Tripoli.

With this victory, D’Tigers moved closer to qualifying for the 2025 AfroBasket finals, and the affirmation from FIBA confirmed that they would participate in the tournament regardless of the outcome against Cape Verde.

The Nigerian side have an impressive history, having not missed the last 10 editions of the tournament, and they are eager to claim their second continental title in Angola from August 12 to 24.

However, Nigeria’s only AfroBasket championship title was won in 2015, alongside four silver medals and three bronze medals, highlighting their strong presence in African basketball.