Nigeria’s D’Tigers secured qualification for the second round of the 2027 FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers after edging Guinea 80-79 in a dramatic Group C encounter in Luanda on Friday.
The victory ended Guinea’s unbeaten run in the group and ensured Nigeria joined the West Africans in progressing to the next phase of the qualifiers.
Having recorded an 84-81 victory over Tunisia on Thursday, D’Tigers faced another stern test against the group leaders and trailed by six points heading into the final quarter. However, the Nigerians staged a spirited comeback to snatch victory by a single point.
Nigeria will conclude their Group C campaign against Rwanda on Sunday.
Thursday’s win over Tunisia had significantly strengthened D’Tigers’ qualification hopes after they suffered two defeats during the previous qualifying window.
Tunisia had defeated Nigeria 88-78 after overtime in their reverse fixture in November, but D’Tigers avenged that loss under new head coach David Fizdale.
Nigeria won the opening quarter 23-21 before Tunisia responded to level the contest. D’Tigers regained control after the interval, outscoring their opponents in the third quarter before holding on in the closing stages to seal an 84-81 victory.
The result lifted Nigeria level on points with Tunisia before Friday’s victory over Guinea secured their place in the second round.
Speaking after the win over Tunisia, Fizdale praised his players’ determination and resilience.
“Collective and physical toughness down the stretch won us the game,” he said.
“We did a lot of things wrong. We made a lot of mistakes that these guys have never made.”
Fizdale, a two-time NBA champion and former Miami Heat assistant coach, was appointed Nigeria’s head coach in May to revive the team’s World Cup qualification campaign.
The top three teams from each of the four first-round groups progress to the second round of the African qualifiers, scheduled to take place between August 2026 and February 2027.
