D'Tigers Must Beat South Sudan Today to Keep 2027 World Cup Dream Alive
Nigeria's D'Tigers lost 78-62 to Cameroon on Thursday, leaving their 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers campaign under pressure. They face South Sudan today (Friday) at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès in Tunisia, needing a win to stay in contention for one of the five African World Cup spots.
Nigeria entered the second round with 10 points from the first three windows, sitting fourth in Group E, just one point behind Cameroon and level with Guinea, Tunisia and South Sudan. Another loss would severely jeopardize qualification hopes before the final window game against Cape Verde on Sunday.
Historically, Nigeria has the edge: South Sudan have never beaten the D'Tigers, with Nigeria winning the last two meetings 76-56 in November 2020 and 75-70 in February 2021 during AfroBasket qualifiers. However, South Sudan arrive confident after beating Guinea 81-71, averaging 82.4 points, 21.7 assists and a 27.5% three‑point rate, compared with Nigeria’s 77.1 points, 18.3 assists and 23.8% from deep.
The return of forward Chima Moneke marks his first senior international appearance since the 2021 AfroBasket, joining a roster that includes Chimezie Metu, Josh Okogie, Caleb Agada, Stan Okoye, Ike Nwamu, Udoka Azubuike, Efe Abogidi, Ebuka Izundu, Manny Obaseki, Jordan Ogundiran and Michael Efevberha. Coach David Fidale expects a sharper, more disciplined performance to turn experience into efficiency.
Will the D'Tigers leverage their past dominance and experience to overcome South Sudan’s athleticism and keep their World Cup dream alive, or will another setback end their hopes?