PARIS (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers) - Cote d'Ivoire's dream of returning to the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time since 2010 is achievable, according to Souleyman Diabate.

As one of the most experienced members of the team, Diabate acknowledges that they could have been in a better position ahead of the sixth and final window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers, but insists it's never too late to secure one of the five spots for African countries for next year's China showdown. 

"EVERYBODY ON OUR TEAM KNOWS THE GOAL, EVERYBODY KNOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS LAST WINDOW AND EVERYBODY IS MOTIVATED AND READY FOR THESE THREE GAMES. WE ARE JUST WAITING FOR THE MOMENT TO COME."- DIABATE

However, with Nigeria, Tunisia and Angola already qualified for next year's World Cup, Cote d'Ivoire need to do the math in order to finish as the best-ranked third-place from across Groups E and F.

Earlier this month, Cameroon enhanced their chances of securing Africa's best-ranked third-place team after finishing their Group E campaign in the third-place thanks to a 7-5 record.

But the Ivoirians would secure a spot in the World Cup as the second-placed team in Group F if they win their last three games and Senegal lose their last three games.

They can also qualify as the best-ranked third-placed team if they win their last three games with a combined margin of at least 65 or 66 points, depending on the number of goals scored (65 if they score over 294 points, 66 points if they score under 294). 

"We have realistic chances of qualifying for the World Cup and the good thing about the situation we're in now is that all players are highly-motivated for our next three games," Diabate said. "We can beat Nigeria, Mali and Rwanda and qualify for the World Cup. That's doable."

What makes the 31-year-old so confident are the results achieved by Cote d'Ivoire in their most recent clashes against powerhouse Nigeria.

Last year, the 'Elephants' pushed Nigeria to the limits although they fell short 78-77 during a FIBA AfroBasket 2017 Group Phase game. 

In September, in the first leg of the Qualifiers' Group F action in Lagos, they forced Nigeria to step up in front of their home crowd before falling 84-73.

Nigeria aside, Cote d'Ivoire have another special reason to dream of a successful end to their Qualifiers campaign in February.

"The aim is to win those games, especially because we would like to host the last window of the qualifiers," the 6ft 1in (1.88m) point guard recalled. "We want to secure our World Cup spot and do so in front of our home fans. I honestly believe we can do it."

Diabate continued:  "It would be special to qualify for the World Cup in Cote d’Ivoire because as hosts of the African Championship 2013, we failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Spain. We let our fans down, who did their best to help us and in the end they left disappointed."

At FIBA AfroBasket 2013, Cote d'Ivoire lost to eventual champions Angola in the Semi-Finals.

"This would be an opportunity of paying our fans back. It would encourage our fans and it would revive the game in our country," he noted. 

Diabate, who is currently a free agent, admitted that Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAF) are Cote d'Ivoire's main rivals in the race to China, but noted: “It's good for Cameroon [to be alive in the race for the World Cup] but they are not better than us. I don’t want to be disrespectful but we've put ourselves in this position. I believe in myself and I believe in my teammates, especially as the last window takes place during the season. Everybody will be in good shape."

CAF and Cote d'Ivoire currently both have a 4-5 mark in Group F.

"We have been talking about this last window since September after our last game, against Mali," Diabate pointed out. "Everybody on our team knows the goal, everybody knows the importance of this last window. Everybody is motivated and ready for these last three games. We are just waiting for the moment to come. As one of the most experienced players on our team, I will be leading them by example.

Diabate endorses the increased number of African countries participating in the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup from three to five as a result of the World Cup field  going from 24 to 32 teams.

"It's a great decision. It shows FIBA believes in African basketball and let’s not forget that there are a lot of Africans playing at top level around the world," he said. "All we have to do now is to prove to the World that we deserve to compete against the best basketball countries in the world."

FIBA