The coach of Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, Abdulrahman Mohammed, has unveiled his squad for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African qualifiers.
He announced the 12-man roster on Monday while speaking to journalists, ahead of the team’s departure to Tunisia for their Group C fixtures, beginning against the hosts on Thursday.
Nigeria will also face Rwanda and Guinea in Group C, with matches scheduled for 29 and 30 November, respectively.
The squad features former Afrobasket captain Ike Nwamu, alongside Stan Okoye, Mike Nuga, and Christopher Obekpa.
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Mohammed also included three home-based players, signalling his intent to blend overseas experience with domestic talent and competitive drive.
The full squad comprises Olisa Akonobi, Paul Dibal, Chingka Garba, Morris Udeze, Mike Nuga, Ike Nwamu, Christopher Obekpa, Jordan Ogundiran, Augustine Okafor, Stan Okoye, Ugo Simon, and Talib Zanna.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Basketball Federation stated that the team is “locked and loaded” for the opening window, as anticipation grows around the nation’s World Cup campaign, according to First Zealmediacast.
The federation also noted that the qualifiers offer an opportunity for Nigeria to reassert itself on the continent after several inconsistent campaigns in recent years.
The African qualifiers will run from November 2025 to March 2027, beginning with 16 teams that reached Afrobasket 2025.
These teams are divided into four groups of four, competing in a double round-robin format, with the top three from each group advancing to the second round.
Nigeria, currently ranked eighth on FIBA’s African power rankings, faces a challenging qualification pathway, with only five World Cup slots available.
In the second phase, 12 teams will be regrouped into two pools of six, carrying over all first-round results. Each team will play six further matches, with the top two in each group, along with the best third-placed side, qualifying for the World Cup in Doha.
