President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Musa Kida, has called on Nigerians to rally behind the senior men’s national basketball team, D’Tigers, as they begin their campaign in the 2027 FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers.
D’Tigers have been drawn in Group E alongside Cameroon, South Sudan, Cabo Verde, Tunisia and Guinea in what is expected to be a keenly contested qualifying series.
“Nigeria will open its campaign against Cameroon on August 27th, before taking on South Sudan on August 28th and Cabo Verde on August 30th, in the opening qualification window,” he said.
Kida urged basketball fans, corporate organisations and other well-meaning Nigerians to support the team in its quest to secure qualification for the 2027 FIBA World Cup.
“The support of Nigerians will provide the needed motivation for the players and technical crew as they compete against some of Africa’s top basketball nations,” Kida mentioned.
“D’Tigers will go into the qualifiers with an encouraging record against some of their Group E opponents, having won three of their previous four meetings against Cameroon.”
“The team also enjoys a positive record against South Sudan, although Cabo Verde has proved a difficult opponent, with Nigeria recording only one victory in six previous encounters.”
“The team will be seeking a strong start to improve its chances of securing a place at the global basketball showpiece,” he concluded.
D’Tigers advanced to the second round of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers with an improved performance in the first phase of the competition.
Nigeria finished the second qualification window with a 1-2 record after defeats to Tunisia and Guinea, before defeating Rwanda 75-69 in overtime at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès in Tunisia. The result left the team under pressure heading into the third qualification window.
D’Tigers then recorded three consecutive victories during the third window held in Luanda, Angola, to finish strongly and progress from Group C to the second round of the African qualifiers.
