ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - 2025 FIBA Women's AfroBasket gets underway with a lot of excitement as the best players on the continent battle for more than the title.
We bring you key things to know ahead of the 12-team competition.
WHEN & WHERE: The 29th edition of the tournament starts on Saturday, July 26 and finishes on Sunday, August 3 with 28 games on show.
Senegal and Guinea in Group C open action. For the first time in Women’s AfroBasket history, Côte d'Ivoire will host the tournament. The 3500-seater Palais des Sports Treichville is the venue of the games.
PARTICIPATING TEAMS:
The 12 teams have been divided into four groups of three teams each. Group A: Cote d'Ivoire, Angola, Egypt Group B: Mali, Cameroon, South Sudan Group C: Senegal, Uganda, Guinea Group D: Nigeria, Mozambique, Rwanda FORMAT OF PLAY: The top team in each group qualifies for the Quarters with the rest playing a Classification Round for the Quarterfinals. There are classification games as well to determine the 5-8 places as the top four head to the Semis. WHAT'S AT STAKE: Besides being crowned the 2025 African champion, the winner gets a direct ticket to the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup set for Berlin, Germany, from 4-13 September. The other three semi finalists will book a place in one of the qualifying tournaments for the global event.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING: Six-time champions Nigeria are hoping to clinch their seventh to move closer to Senegal's record of 11. More importantly, they are looking to become the first team to win five in a row. Their victory in Rwanda in 2023 saw them join Senegal (1974, 1977, 1979, 1981) as the only two sides to have won four times consecutively. REMATCHES: The Group Phase presents some exciting match ups that with scores to settle and revenge to be exacted.
Group A
CIV Vs EGY (Saturday, July 26) - The two have met six times in the showpiece, Cote d'Ivoire winning four. Egypt, however, won the last meeting in the 2019 classification games to finish seventh. Their other win dates back to 2000, an 80-76 show. EGY Vs ANG (Sunday, July 27) - Almost always a memorable match up, the two sides have met five times, Angola winning thrice. Four of their five meetings have been decided in single digits differences, Egypt's first win coming in a 53-52 outcome. The Pharaohs won the last one 82-76 in the 5-8 classification matches in 2021. ANG Vs CIV (Monday, July 28) - A clash of familiar foe as hosts Cote d'Ivoire, and two-time champions Angola find themselves in the same group for the second competition in a row. The former has won the last three meetings, including a 72-69 outcome in the 2023 preliminaries. Since their first meeting in 2007 in this competition, Angola has won five times.
Group B
CMR Vs MLI (Monday, July 28) - In 2021, Mali denied Cameroon the opportunity to reach their first Final since 2015 in a 52-51 outcome and there are scores to settle here. Mali, however, have the upper hand as they have won four of their six meetings.
Group C
SEN Vs GUI (Saturday, July 26) - The opening clash of the tournament will see record holders, Senegal, take on Guinea as the latter chase a highly-unlikely maiden victory in five meetings. The two sides last met in 2021, Guinea going down 100-31. Senegal have hit 100+ points in three of the four matchups so far, coming short after such number by a single point in 2011. GUI Vs UGA (Sunday, July 27) - The East Africans won this game in 2023 85-44 to finish seventh, in what was the second meeting between the two. Guinea beat Uganda to ninth (53-52) in 2015.
UGA Vs SEN (Monday, July 28) - In their first time of asking, Uganda stunned Senegal 85-83 in Kigali, 2023 in the Group Phase. As history repeats itself and the duo land the same Group C this year, Senegal are on a revenge mission while Uganda wants to prove themselves worthy competition for the reigning silver medalists.
Group D
NGR Vs RWA (Saturday, July 26) - The East Africans have fallen to the defending champions thrice, including in the 2023 Semis (79-48). Can the Rwandese return the favour for what would be a massive upset on day one of competition? MOZ Vs NGR (Monday, July 28) - This long-standing rivalry, dating back to 2007 has seen Mozambique play second fiddle, winning twice (2007 & 2013 Quarters) in 10 meetings. The West Africans returned the favour in 2015, going to settle for bronze, and again in 2023 (59-52) enroute to their sixth title.
SOUTH SUDAN DEBUT: Following in the footsteps of their men's team who have taken African basketball by storm in the last five years, the Bright Starlets of South Sudan make their debut on a wild card. They finished third in the Zone 5 Qualifiers, behind Uganda and Egypt.
In their third appearance in the Qualifiers, they picked an 86-69 win over neighbours Kenya, their second ever victory. The team's first win came against Rwanda in the 2023 qualifiers with a 54-40 victory. With numerous talents spread across the world ready to represent their country, the Bright Starlets are expected to cause some upsets.
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MOST APPEARANCES AT WOMEN'S AFROBASKET
Senegal are making their 26th trip to the premier African competition while Angola are on their 21st. Speaking of longevity, four-time African champion Sara Ogoke continues her quest, having featured in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021, 2023 and now part of the squad for her eighth appearance. There are no signs of stopping for the veteran. Mozambique's Leia Dongue made her debut in 2009, and has only missed twice, in 2015 and 2021. Featuring in 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019 and 2023, she is in Abidjan for her seventh appearance.
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