MALABO (Equatorial Guinea) - As Cameroon had already qualified for the final round of the 2026 U18 AfroBasket tournament by finishing second in the previous edition (2024), five other nations from Zone 4 gathered in Malabo to compete for the one remaining place in this year's tournament.
The regional qualifying tournament took place from 29 May to 4 June.
In addition to hosts Equatorial Guinea, Chad, the Central African Republic, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo arrived in Malabo, hoping to make their mark on the U18 AfroBasket.
Over the last decade, Gabon were the only national team from Zone 4 — except for Cameroon — to participate in the FIBA U18 AfroBasket, finishing 11th in the 2016 tournament held in Kigali, Rwanda.
The Republic of Congo were seeking their first U18 AfroBasket ticket since 2010, while the Central African Republic were aiming to return to the tournament for the first time since 2008.
Meanwhile, Chad and Equatorial Guinea were competing for their first appearance in the final round in decades.
Four of the five teams played six games each, while Equatorial Guinea, having lost all four of their games, failed to advance to the semi-final.
Of the 14 games played in Malabo, eight were decided by 10 points or fewer.
Chad started their campaign on the losing side after losing 68–65 to the Republic of Congo, but bounced back with five consecutive wins to secure the only Final Round ticket available to Zone 4 national teams.
Gabon also reached the final with a 4–1 win–loss record, but Chad proved stronger, winning 85–58.
This was Chad's second win over Gabon, having also won their Group Phase encounter 84–81.
Gabon finished second with a 4–2 record.
The Republic of Congo finished third after winning three of their six games.
The Central African Republic secured fourth place with an 88-86 victory over Equatorial Guinea and a 72-60 win against the Republic of Congo.
Equatorial Guinea finished their qualifying campaign at the bottom of the five-team event with a 0–4 record.
Meanwhile, Chad secured their place at the 2026 FIBA U18 AfroBasket, which is set to take place in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (official date to be confirmed).
FIBA