Nigeria’s national men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, has fallen in the latest FIBA World Rankings, dropping 11 spots to 53rd globally.
The new rankings, released by the sport’s global governing body, reflect the results from recent international competitions, including the AfroBasket 2025 tournament in Angola.
The team’s point total decreased from 297.8 in March to 248.7, making Nigeria one of the biggest fallers in this update. On the African continent, D’Tigers slipped from sixth to eighth place.
The team’s performance at the AfroBasket tournament was a mixed bag.
After a strong start under coach Mohammed Abdulrahman, where they topped their group with victories over Madagascar, Tunisia, and Cameroon, their run ended in the quarter-finals with a 91–75 loss to Senegal.
Standout players included Caleb Agada, Josh Okogie, Stan Okoye, and Ike Nwamu.
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With the next FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Series scheduled for November, the team now aims to prepare for a potential return to the world stage in 2027, when Qatar will host the next tournament.
D’Tigers last participated in the World Cup in 2019 but did not qualify for the 2023 edition.
In Africa, South Sudan maintains its position as the top-ranked team, now at 24th globally.
Meanwhile, the newly crowned AfroBasket champions, Angola, made a significant leap to second in Africa and 29th worldwide.
The top ten in Africa also include the Ivory Coast, Egypt, Senegal, Cape Verde, Tunisia, Cameroon, and Mali.
Globally, the United States remains in the top spot, with Germany (World Cup champions), Serbia, France, and Canada completing the top five.
The recent decline of D’Tigers highlights the need for better organisation and preparation to help the team regain its status as a top contender in African basketball and qualify for future international competitions.
