Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, have officially booked their place at the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket championship, sealing qualification even before their final Group B qualifier against Cape Verde on Sunday.
Heading into their last game of the second qualifying phase, D’Tigers needed a victory to strengthen their chances. However, FIBA had already confirmed that all four teams in Group B—Cape Verde, Libya, Nigeria, and Uganda—would qualify, ensuring that the fourth-placed team in the group would advance as the best-ranked fourth-place finisher.
“The team that will finish fourth in this group will qualify as the best-fourth team of the AfroBasket qualifiers,” FIBA stated in their pre-game analysis on Sunday.
Despite this assurance, D’Tigers remained determined to finish strong and delivered a commanding 77-62 victory over Cape Verde, completing a flawless run in the second qualifying window.
D’Tigers’ qualification comes as a major turnaround after their struggles in the first phase of the qualifiers last year, where they lost all three games. However, they bounced back impressively in the second phase, winning all three of their matches in Tripoli, Libya.
They opened their campaign with a hard-fought 75-70 victory over hosts Libya on Friday before staging a second-half comeback to defeat Uganda 87-67 on Saturday. With two consecutive wins, Nigeria was already on the verge of qualification before FIBA’s confirmation secured their spot.
With this qualification, D’Tigers have now extended their streak of consecutive AfroBasket appearances to 11. They will compete in the tournament, scheduled to be held in Angola from August 12 to 24, where they will aim to win their second continental title.
Nigeria’s only AfroBasket triumph came in 2015, and they have also finished as runners-up four times while claiming three bronze medals. With their qualification sealed, D’Tigers will now shift focus to preparing for a strong title challenge in Angola.
