ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - The 2026 FIBA U18 AfroBasket comes down to one game. Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire will tussle for the African crown on Sunday, 16 August at Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
The two teams will face off in the final for the first time since 2012, when they battled at the same stage of the competition in Maputo, Mozambique.
What are the key match-ups?
Nathan Djoko has provided Côte d’Ivoire with the scoring punch off the bench. The shooting guard knows his way to the basket but, most importantly, has proven to be clutch.
Djako, along with Karl-Randell Kouame-Zeze, Jason Ake, and Siincere Hudson, who complete Côte d’Ivoire’s backcourt rotation and also contribute handsomely, will be up against Senegal’s consistent backcourt pair, Frederic Mane and Pape Diallo. Podor Ndiaye could be valuable off the bench.
Down low, Senegal skipper Code Mbengue has been a pillar on both ends, and his battle with Deh-Dimitri Azema and Chris Echui is one to look forward to.
Papa Faye and Bacary Doucoure, as well as Babacar Samb, have provided energy off the bench for Senegal, which begs the same of Medard Dabire, Jean-Philippe Oka, and Raphael Ouedraogo.
What do the stats say?
Cote d’Ivoire are unbeaten in the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record, while Senegal are 4-1, having lost to Cameroon in the group stage.
Defensively, before the Semi-Final, Senegal had kept all their opponents under 50 points, including the defeat to Cameroon. In Saturday's Semi-Final, Senegal held high-scoring Mali to just 51 points.
On the other hand, Côte d’Ivoire have not been particularly impressive defensively but have rather depended on their ability to outscore their opponents. They have allowed over 50 points in all five games they have played but have won all by at least 5 points.
What do the coaches say?
“Our mentality is always to be smarter and remain mentally stronger as we play our game. Beating Mali was a challenge—it was a sort of myth, because people kept telling us we couldn’t do it. Each competition has its moment, and right now, we’re in the Africa Cup [Finals]. We’ll just see how tomorrow’s match goes, but I hope we win because that’s what we’re here for.” — Mouhamed Diadie Sene, Senegal.
“Senegal is a tough team with size, and they are fast, but we will play as usual. Try to play very good defense and control defensive rebounding. We can afford to give them second-chance opportunities.” — Stephane Konate, Côte d’Ivoire.
FIBA