Nigeria’s D’Tigers have secured qualification for the second round of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers after edging Guinea 80-79 in a thrilling Group C encounter in Luanda, Angola.
The hard-fought victory ended Guinea’s unbeaten run in the group and ensured Nigeria progressed to the next phase of the qualifiers with one game still to play.
After recording an impressive 84-81 victory over Tunisia on Thursday, D’Tigers carried their momentum into Friday’s clash but faced another stern test against the Group C leaders. Nigeria trailed by six points heading into the final quarter before producing a determined comeback to snatch victory by a single point.
The result means both Guinea and Nigeria have qualified for the second round, while D’Tigers will round off their Group C fixtures against Rwanda on Sunday, July 5.
Nigeria’s resurgence follows a difficult start to the qualifying campaign, having lost twice during the previous qualification window. However, back-to-back victories over Tunisia and Guinea have dramatically revived the team’s hopes of reaching the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar.
Against Tunisia, D’Tigers avenged their earlier overtime defeat from November with an impressive all-round performance. Nigeria claimed the opening quarter 23-21 before Tunisia responded strongly to level proceedings. David Fizdale’s men regained control after halftime, winning the third quarter 21-19 before holding firm in the closing minutes to secure an 84-81 victory.
The win over Tunisia moved Nigeria level on points with the North Africans before Friday’s victory over Guinea further strengthened their position in Group C.
Head coach David Fizdale, who was appointed in May to lead Nigeria’s World Cup qualification campaign, praised his players for their determination and resilience following the Tunisia victory.
“Collective and physical toughness down the stretch won us the game,” Fizdale said.
“We did a lot of things wrong. We made a lot of mistakes that these guys have never made.”
The qualification format sees the top three teams from each of the four first-round groups advance to the second round, which will take place between August 2026 and February 2027.
The 12 qualified teams will then be divided into two groups of six, carrying over results from the first round. At the end of the second phase, the top two teams from each group, along with the best third-placed team, will qualify for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar.
With qualification to the next stage now secured, D’Tigers will aim to finish the first round strongly when they face Rwanda as preparations continue for the decisive phase of the World Cup qualifying campaign.