Nigeria’s D’Tigers face a decisive showdown today as they battle Rwanda in a must-win fixture at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 African Qualifiers.
The game tips off at 8pm in Rades, Tunisia, with the loser set for elimination from the qualification race.
D’Tigers enter the contest under intense pressure after losing their first two games of Window 1.
Nigeria opened with a hard-fought 78–88 overtime defeat to hosts Tunisia before falling 69–55 to Guinea — their first-ever loss to the Guineans in World Cup qualifying history.
Rwanda are in an identical position, having also lost to Tunisia and Guinea. With both sides winless, today’s matchup will determine which nation joins Tunisia and Guinea in advancing to the next window of qualifiers.
Head coach Abdulrahman Mohamed admitted the team did not envision entering the final game without a victory, describing the start as “far below expectations”.
He, however, insists the squad has the quality to respond, stating that Nigeria “haven’t shown their best basketball yet.”
For Rwanda, the stakes are equally high. A win would keep their World Cup hopes alive, adding extra intensity to what promises to be a tightly contested encounter.
Qualifying Format at a Glance
Sixteen African nations are battling for five available slots at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Doha.
The teams — Nigeria, Rwanda, Angola, Egypt, Senegal, South Sudan, Tunisia and others — are divided into four groups of four for the First Round.
Each team play six games across three windows (November 2025, February 2026, July 2026), with the top three from each group progressing.
Results carry over into the Second Round, where teams are merged into two groups and play six additional games before the top qualifiers are confirmed in February 2027.
For D’Tigers, all calculations are simple tonight: win or go home.
