TUNIS (Tunisia) - The first eight national teams will compete in Window One of the World Cup African Qualifiers in Rades, on the outskirts of Tunis, for a chance to remain in contention for one of the five World Cup spots allocated to Africa.
From Thursday, 27 November to Sunday, 30 November, the Salle Omnisports de Radès will be the centre of attention for African basketball, with star players from a variety of backgrounds set to shine and help their countries succeed in the Qatar 2027 race.
This article takes a closer look at where the eight teams stand in the four-day event.
Group A
SOUTH SUDAN, CAPE VERDE, CAMEROON, LIBYA
TEAM | FIBA WORLD RANKING, PRESENTED BY NIKE |
South Sudan | 24th |
Cape Verde | 49th |
Cameroon | 57th |
Libya | 100th |
This is a group of death, with three teams in the top ten of the FIBA Africa rankings and Libya in fourth place, six places off.
The action gets underway on Thursday with a Group A game between Cameroon and Cape Verde, with Libya and South Sudan completing the quartet.
Headlining the group is top-ranked South Sudan (24th globally), a wounded lion returning to continental competition after a disappointing AfroBasket 2025, with a reputation to uphold.
They will face a Cape Verde side that dropped four places in the last FIBA rankings (15 September) to sixth (49th globally) after this year's AfroBasket, where the Islanders lost 90–80 to the eventual champions, Angola, in the quarter-finals, going on to finish eighth.
Cape Verde will rely on the experience of brothers Ivan and Joel Almeida to get their campaign off to a good start. They made the 2023 World Cup, registering their first and only win in the tournament by beating Venezuela 81–75.
Meanwhile, Cameroon, ranked ninth (57th globally), head into the tournament as the highest-placed team, having finished fourth after losing the semi-final match 74–73 to the hosts and champions, Angola.
Libya (ranked 16th in Africa and 96th globally) are the underdogs in their group. They have struggled since returning to continental competition and went on to finish 16th at the AfroBasket with a 0-3 record.
The favorite: South Sudan Key matchup: South Sudan vs Cameroon The underdog: Libya
Players to watch: Jackson Makoi and Deng Acuoth (SSD), Jeremiah Hill (CMR), Ivan Almeida (CPV), Mohamed Sadi (LBA).
Group C
TUNISIA, NIGERIA, GUINEA, RWANDA
TEAM | FIBA WORLD RANKING, PRESENTED BY NIKE |
Tunisia | 50th |
Nigeria | 53rd |
Guinea | 72nd |
Rwanda | 90th |
A group containing two teams that have won the AfroBasket trophy in the last decade — Nigeria and Tunisia — is always one to watch.
Hosts Tunisia and Nigeria are among the top 10 teams in Africa and are using this World Cup African Qualifiers series as an opportunity to boost their chances of returning to the global stage, an event they have attended on numerous occasions. Nigeria and Tunisia last featured at the World Cup in 2019.
Although Rwanda and Guinea may rank below the top 10 on the continent, their recent performances have proven that they can compete with the best.
Guinea's ninth-place finish at the 2025 AfroBasket tournament two months ago is a clear example of their progress. Shannon Evans and Ousmane Drame play fundamental roles in their teams' rotations.
Rwanda arrived in Tunisia looking to put their recent past behind them, and could not have asked for a better test than taking on Nigeria, Tunisia and Guinea to gauge their current form.
The favorite: Nigeria Key matchup: Nigeria vs Tunisia The underdog: Rwanda
Players to watch: Oussama Marnaoui and Omar Abada (TUN), Ousmane Drame and Shannon Evans (GUI), Ike Nwamu and Mike Nuga (NGR), Ntore Habimana (RWA).
FIBA