Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, have fallen to 53rd in the world following the latest rankings released by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). This represents a significant drop of 11 places from their 42nd position in March 2025.
The 2015 African champions also slipped in the continental rankings, moving from sixth to eighth, amassing 248.7 points compared to the 297.8 points they held earlier this year. Nigeria is among the biggest droppers globally, alongside Morocco, Tunisia, Virgin Islands, and Kosovo, while teams like Mali, South Africa, Turkey, Cyprus, and Jamaica recorded notable climbs.
D’Tigers’ ranking slide comes after a challenging preparation and performance at the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket tournament in Angola. Led by coach Mohammed Abdulrahman, Nigeria topped Group B during the round-robin phase with victories against Madagascar, three-time champions Tunisia, and Cameroon. However, their campaign ended in the quarter-finals with a 91-75 defeat to Senegal, despite standout performances from Caleb Agada, Josh Okogie, Stan Okoye, and Ike Nwamu.
Looking ahead, Nigeria will turn its focus to the FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Series set to commence in November, aiming to secure a place for the 2027 edition in Qatar, having missed out on the 2023 tournament. Nigeria’s last World Cup appearance was in 2019 in China, under former head coach Alex Nwora.
On the continental scene, South Sudan leads Africa with 446.7 points, though it dropped one spot globally from 23rd to 24th. Newly-crowned AfroBasket champions, Angola, moved up four places to second on the continent and 29th worldwide, while Ivory Coast, Egypt, Senegal, Cape Verde, Tunisia, Cameroon, and Mali round out the top ten African teams.
Globally, the United States retains the number one spot with 845.8 points, followed by reigning world champions Germany (765.9 points). Serbia, France, and Canada complete the top five positions in the world rankings.
The D’Tigers’ ranking drop underscores the challenges Nigeria faces in re-establishing itself as a dominant force in African and global basketball, with the upcoming qualifiers providing a crucial opportunity to regain ground.
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