Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, the D’Tigers, have been drawn against Rwanda, Guinea, and Tunisia in Group C of the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers first phase, Afrosport reports.
Nigeria was placed in pot three during the draw, which was held on Tuesday at the prestigious ALHAZM in Doha, Qatar, the host nation of the tournament.
16 African teams were divided into four groups of four teams each, with the top three nations from each group progressing to the second round, where only five qualification tickets are up for grabs.
The D’Tigers, whose participation in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers was confirmed following qualification for the 2025 AfroBasket, will be hoping to qualify for their fourth FIBA World Cup tournament.
Meanwhile, Cameroon, South Sudan, Cape Verde, and Libya will lock horns in Group A; Senegal, DR Congo, Madagascar, and Ivory Coast have been drawn in Group B; while Group D contains Mali, Angola, Uganda, and Egypt.
The African qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup will be played across five windows, starting from November 2025 through March 2027.
Africa, are you ready for these great match-ups on the road to Qatar 2027?
Which teams are your favourites to make out of these groups?
#FIBAWC x #StepItUp pic.twitter.com/3FPSK5eIx5
— FIBA Basketball World Cup
(@FIBAWC) May 13, 2025
Each team in the first round will play six games, and the top three teams from each group will advance to the second round, where the 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six teams each, with results from the opening round carried over.
Groups A and C will merge, likewise Groups B and D, with each country playing six games each as they will battle teams they have yet to play against.
At the end of the second round, the top two teams from each group, along with the third best-placed team, will advance to the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup, which will feature 32 teams for the third straight time.
The tournament, which will take place from 27 August to 12 September 2027, will be the first men’s basketball World Cup to be held in the Middle East and the third consecutive edition in Asia.
