ABIDJAN (Côte d'Ivoire) - The FIBA U18 Women's AfroBasket competition has produced budding superstars, and some have built impressive playing resumes.
Ahead of the 2026 FIBA U18 Women's AfroBasket in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, (5-16 August), FIBA.basketball takes a look at the MVPs of the last five tournaments.
Oummou Koumare - (2024 U18 Women's AfroBasket MVP)
DOB: 10 December 2006 Points: 22.5 ppg Rebounds: 4.5 reg Assists: 3.5 apg
Two years ago, Koumare helped Mali maintain their dominance of the U18 Women's AfroBasket tournament in Pretoria, South Africa.
En route to securing Mali's ninth title, she achieved three 20-point games.
She saved her best performance for the final against Nigeria, scoring 31 points from 12 out of 22 field goal attempts.
Her defensive presence was pivotal for Mali, with Koumare averaging 4.3 steals during the tournament.
Koumare currently plays for the Spanish club Baloncesto Venta de Baños.
Maimouna Haidara - (2022 U18 Women's AfroBasket MVP)
DOB: 2 June 2004 Points: 23.8 ppg Rebounds: 12.8 rpg Assists: 3.3 apg
Haidara was outstanding for Mali in the 2022 tournament in Madagascar.
She recorded five double-doubles, including a 22-point, 12-rebound performance in the final against Egypt, helping Mali to secure a record-breaking eighth title.
Before competing in her final youth competition, the 2023 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Spain — the year in which she led Mali to victory in the U18 AfroBasket — she played for her country's senior team in the Women's Basketball World Cup in Australia.
Moving up to senior basketball was challenging for Haidara, who played in two Women's AfroBaskets (in 2023 and 2025) and a Women's World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Mexico in 2024. She made her breakthrough earlier this year at the 2026 Women's Basketball World Cup qualifying tournaments in March.
In Wuhan, the 21-year-old delivered a series of heroic performances that helped Mali secure a third World Cup appearance. Her outstanding performances earned her a place in the tournament's All-Star Five at the end of the qualifiers. Haidara had been playing professionally since her late teens and, after spending some time playing club basketball in Spain, recently committed to playing college basketball at Southern Methodist University (SMU).
Yara Hussein - (2020 U18 Women's AfroBasket MVP)
DOB: 4 April 2002 Points: 10.1 ppg Assists; 9.3 apg
Hussein was Egypt's star player in the 2020 championship, in which Mali and Senegal were the other teams.
The Egyptian forward achieved three double-doubles in the group phase, earning her the MVP trophy that year.
Since progressing from the youth ranks, she has represented Egypt in two Women's AfroBasket qualifiers (in 2023 and 2025), and has played for the Cairo-based Al Ahly club, which won the FIBA Women's Basketball Africa League championship last year.
Assetou Sissoko - (2018 U18 Women's AfroBasket MVP)
DOB: 7 May 2000 Points: 22 ppg Rebounds: 6.8 rpg Assists: 2.7 apg
Sissoko showed her potential as a teenager and was dominant at the 2018 Women's AfroBasket in Mozambique.
She recorded five 20-point games, including a 20-point, 11-rebound performance against Angola in the group stages and a 25-point, 11-rebound haul in the victory over the host nation as Mali secured their seventh title.
Since playing for Mali in the U19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Thailand, Sissoko has only ever played in one tournament for the senior national team: the Women's World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Mexico in 2024.
She last played for Dakar Université Club.
Meral Abdelgawad - (2016 U18 Women's AfroBasket MVP)
DOB: 13 November 1998 Points: 14 ppg Rebounds: 3.2 rpg Assists: 2.8 apg
Despite Egypt's loss to Mali in the final of the 2016 U18 Women's AfroBasket tournament, forward Abdelgawad delivered an outstanding performance on home soil.
Egypt dominated the group stage, and the forward's outstanding performances were a key factor in their success. Highlights included a 20-point performance against Madagascar and a 17-point contribution in another victory over Angola.
Abdelgawad later committed to Western Kentucky University. She has played in three AfroBasket tournaments with the senior national team (in 2023, 2019 and 2017).
She recently won the 2025 FIBA Women's Basketball League Africa with her club, Al Ahly.
Previous U18 Women's AfroBasket MVP's
Former U18 Women's AfroBasket MVPs include Djeneba Ndiaye (2014), Yacine Diop (2012), Reem Osama (2010), Laoudy Maiga (2008) and Fanta Toure (2006)
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