LUANDA (Angola) - This is part two (2/2) of the 2025 AfroBasket quarterfinals preview. CLICK HERE for part one (1/2) of the preview of this year's Last Eight of FIBA Africa's African Championship.
Two more exciting games are scheduled for Thursday, August 21, and we bring you an insider's look at the matchup involving four top-10-ranked African teams.
Egypt vs. Cameroon, August 21, 2025, 16:00 Local Time: (GMT+1)
FIBA World Ranking Presented by Nike EGYPT - No. 5 in Africa (38th in the World) CAMEROON - No. 9 in Africa (64th in the World)
These are two vibrant teams that have faced off five times over the past decade, with Egypt prevailing three times.
Of those five meetings, only one was at AfroBasket. That was in the 2015 tournament, when Egypt's current core roster — a group of promising talents at the time — beat Cameroon 83-77 in the Group Phase. Back then, Egypt ended up in fifth place, while Cameroon finished ninth.
Since then, Cameroon and Egypt have faced off in the last two FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers in 2019 and 2023, with each team winning twice.
It remains to be seen whether Egypt's 3-0 record in Group D, which gave them a five-day break, will benefit or hinder the team's rhythm, especially since Cameroon, with a 3-1 record, has had only one rest day since beating the Democratic Republic of the Congo 77-68 in the quarterfinal classification round.
Playmaker Ehab Amin has been the go-to player for Egypt, leading his team in all major categories of the game.
In their first three games of the championship, the former U18 AfroBasket MVP led Egypt with team highs of 20 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and a 22.5 efficiency rating — the highest in the first three games of the 2025 AfroBasket tournament.
Egypt averaged 80.7 points per game compared to Cameroon's 83.3. Egypt slightly outperformed Cameroon in rebounding with 47 boards per game compared to Cameroon's 43.8.
The biggest difference between the teams lies in their bench production: Egypt's bench contributed 34.3 points, while Cameroon's contributed 22.3.
AfroBasket debutant Yves Missi led the Indomitable Lions in points scored (16.7 ppg), rebounds (8.7 rpg), blocks (1.7 bpg), and efficiency rating (20) in his first three games.
It remains to be seen if Cameroon's playmaker, Jeremiah Hill, is out for the tournament due to an injury.
The winner of the Egypt vs. Cameroon game will advance to the AfroBasket semifinals for the first time in over a decade.
Egypt finished second in the 2013 tournament in Côte d'Ivoire, and Cameroon finished second in the 2007 tournament in Angola.
For Cameroon, which finished last after going 0-3 in the 2021 AfroBasket, reaching the Last Four would be a massive improvement.
Angola vs. Côte d'Ivoire, August 22, 2025, 19:00 Local Time: (GMT+1)
FIBA World Ranking Presented by Nike ANGOLA - No. 3 in Africa (33rd in the World) CAPE VERDE - No. 7 in Africa (45th in the World)
Tickets for the Angola vs. Cape Verde quarterfinals matchup have reportedly sold out, demonstrating the excitement surrounding one of the most entertaining clashes in recent African basketball history.
Historically and on paper, Angola have a 5-1 win-loss advantage since their first meeting in the 2007 tournament in Angola.
However, the last three encounters have been titanic battles between these top-10 African basketball powerhouses.
Angola overcame Cape Verde twice in the second round of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup African qualifiers, but, it's Cape Verde's 77–71 triumph over Angola in the 2021 AfroBasket that keeps some Angolans up at night.
Angola and Cape Verde played their group phase games in the southern Angolan city of Moçâmedes, where Cape Verde finished second in Group A with a 2-1 record and Angola finished first in Group C at 3-0.
Cape Verde enters this matchup after knocking out the reigning champions, Tunisia, in the Round of 16 on Tuesday, August 19, while Angola last played five days ago, defeating South Sudan 66-62.
Heading into this 2025 AfroBasket showdown, Cape Verde boast a superior field-goal percentage of 43%, compared to Angola's 41%.
Cape Verde shoots much better than Angola from deep (35.2% vs. 29.1%), but Angola are concerned about their modest free-throw shooting, averaging just 57%.
Two players at opposite ends of the height spectrum have been major contributors to their teams. Childe Dundao, at 1.67 m, is the shortest player in the tournament, and Edy Tavares, at 2.22 m, is the tallest. They are both key to their respective teams.
Angolan Emanuel Trovoada has led Cape Verde for years and has enjoyed huge success with his adopted country.
Under the leadership of Trovoada, who served as Angola's assistant coach in the 2015 AfroBasket tournament, Cape Verde became the smallest country ever to qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. They secured their historic spot by defeating Côte d'Ivoire on the final day of the qualifiers in Luanda, Angola.
While Cape Verde are chasing their second consecutive AfroBasket semifinal berth, Angola are looking to reach the final four for the first time since finishing as runner-up in 2015 in Tunisia.
FIBA