Nigeria’s D’Tigers boosted their chances of reaching the next round of the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers after edging Tunisia 84-81 in a thrilling encounter on Thursday in Luanda, Angola.
The victory was Nigeria’s second of the qualifying campaign, bouncing back from two defeats in the previous qualifying window to keep their hopes alive.
In November, Tunisia defeated Nigeria 88-78 after overtime on home soil in the first round of Group C. However, Thursday’s rematch in the Angolan capital marked a fresh start for the D’Tigers under new head coach David Fizdale.
D’Tigers made a bright start, taking the opening quarter 23-21, but Tunisia responded by claiming the second quarter 23-20 to leave the teams level at halftime.
The contest remained closely fought after the break, with Nigeria regaining the initiative by winning the third quarter 21-19 before holding their nerve in the final period, taking it 20-18 to secure a hard-fought three-point victory.
The result moved Nigeria up to third in the standings with six points, level with second-placed Tunisia but two points behind group leaders Guinea.
D’Tigers will now turn their attention to Friday’s clash against Guinea, knowing that another victory would draw them level on points with the leaders and significantly boost their chances of progressing to the next round of the qualifiers.
Thursday’s victory also marked a winning start for Fizdale, with the two-time NBA champion and former Miami Heat assistant coach steering Nigeria back on course in his first game in charge.
Appointed in May to revive the team’s qualifying campaign after a disappointing start, Fizdale praised his players’ resilience despite admitting there was still plenty of room for improvement.
‘Collective and physical toughness down the stretch won us the game’, Fizdale told the FIBA website.
He added, ‘We did a lot of things wrong. We made a lot of mistakes that these guys have never made’.
The top three teams from each of the four groups will advance to the second round, which will be played between August 2026 and February 2027.
The remaining 12 teams will then be divided into two groups of six, carrying over their results from the first round. The top two teams in each group, along with the best third-placed team, will qualify for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar.
