D’Tigers ready for African qualifier after unveliing 12-man squad

‎‎Boluwatife Kehinde
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‎Ahead of the opening phase of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African qualifiers, Nigeria has released a revamped 12-man roster for the international break.
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‎Head coach Abdulrahman Mohammed confirmed the squad as Group C’s D’Tigers gear up to begin their campaign on Thursday in Tunis.
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‎They will face Rwanda and Guinea on November 29 and 30 in back-to-back fixtures.
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‎The squad also welcome Former Afrobasket captain Ike Nwamu returning as one of Nigeria’s most seasoned and influential players.
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‎The full list features: 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.
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‎The African qualifying series will run from November 2025 to March 2027, featuring the 16 teams that reached Afrobasket 2025.
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‎According to First Zealmedia Cast, the Nigeria Basketball Federation stated that the team is “locked and loaded” for the opening window, noting that the qualifiers present a chance for D’Tigers to reclaim their status in African basketball after several uneven performances in recent years.
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‎D’Tigers are placed into four groups of four, competing in a double round-robin format. The top three teams from each group will progress to the second round.
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‎Ranked eighth on FIBA Africa’s power index, Nigeria faces a challenging road as only five African teams will ultimately secure tickets to the World Cup in Doha.
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‎In the next stage, the remaining 12 teams will be split into two groups of six, with first-round records carried forward. Each team will play six additional games, and only the top two from each group plus the best third-placed side will qualify for the World Cup.