Nigeria’s D’Tigers ended the fourth window of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers on a winning note, defeating Cape Verde 100-84 on Sunday to strengthen their push for a place at the global tournament.
The victory in Radès, Tunisia, was a timely response from Nigeria after consecutive defeats to Cameroon and South Sudan had complicated their qualification campaign.
D’Tigers established control from the opening tip, racing to a 23-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Cape Verde showed greater resistance in the second quarter, but Nigeria remained in command, winning the period 29-26 to take a 52-35 advantage into the interval.
Nigeria maintained the momentum after halftime, adding another 24 points in the third quarter while restricting Cape Verde to 19 as their lead grew to 22 points at 76-54.
The island nation mounted a late fightback in the final quarter, outscoring Nigeria 30-24, but the D’Tigers had already done enough to secure a comfortable 100-84 victory.
Nigeria Fifth in Group E
The result leaves Nigeria fifth in Group E with 14 points from a 5-4 record.
Cameroon lead the group with 16 points, while Guinea occupy second place on 15 points. South Sudan are third with 15 points, Tunisia on 14 points stayed 4th level with Nigeria but ahead of the D’Tigers in the standings due to head to head advantage.
Nigeria’s position means the qualification race remains firmly in their hands, but there is little room for error in the final window as a clean sweep of victories could land the team in Qatar 2027.
Under the African qualification format, the top two teams in Group E and the top two in Group F will qualify automatically for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup, while the best third-placed team across the two groups will claim the fifth African ticket.
With Nigeria currently outside the top two in Group E, the D’Tigers will need a strong finish to move into the automatic qualification positions or put themselves in contention for the best third-place spot.
Final Window Could Decide Nigeria’s Fate
The fifth and final qualifying window is scheduled for February 25-28, 2027, with Nigeria facing another decisive set of fixtures in their bid to secure a World Cup ticket.
The D’Tigers’ victory over Cape Verde has kept the campaign alive and provided valuable momentum ahead of the final stage.
Nigeria will now have several months to regroup and prepare for what promises to be a crucial final window, where every victory and potentially every point, could determine whether the D’Tigers return to the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Nigeria’s task is clear, win the three games of the next window climb into the top two in Group E or finish as the best third-placed team across Groups E and F to secure one of Africa’s five tickets to Qatar 2027.
