ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - The schedules for the FIBA Africa qualifiers for the biennial FIBA U18 AfroBasket tournament have been released, with national teams from various zones set to compete for places at this year's tournament in Côte d'Ivoire.
The tournament will take place from May to July, with seven teams earning a place in the final and joining the defending champions, Mali, Cameroon and Senegal, as well as the Ivorians and Morocco, who are first-time semifinalists in 2024.
Zone 1
Tunis, Tunisia, is set to host the Zone 1 qualifiers from Wednesday 8 to Monday 13 July, with the hosts being joined by Algeria and Libya in their quest for victory on home soil.
Morocco dominated this zone's qualifiers in 2024, ending their absence from the continental showpiece since the 2012 edition.
Tunisia, the hosts, are aiming to return to the continental competition for the first time since their seventh-place finish in 2018.
Meanwhile, Algeria are chasing a return since 2022, when they also finished seventh, and Libya are keen to return since 2018.
Zone 3
The city of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso is preparing to host the Zone 3 qualifiers from Saturday 4 July to Friday 17 July.
Benin, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana will join the hosts in competing for the one available place at the 2026 continental tournament.
Benin last qualified in 2022 and went on to finish eighth; they are now aiming for their fourth appearance in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Ghana will have to work hard to return to the continental showpiece for the first time since their debut in 2012, while the hosts are keen to make their first appearance in an African competition.
Nigeria dominated their opponents in the 2024 qualifiers to secure their first appearance since 2010.
They went on to finish seventh, and their participation in this year's qualifiers remains uncertain. If they do participate, they will be aiming to clinch a record seventh title.
Zone 4
The Equatorial Guinean city of Malabo will host the Zone 4 competition from Thursday, 28 May to Thursday, 4 June, during which the hosts will take on Chad, Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo in their quest to return to the continental stage for the first time since their 1980 debut.
Meanwhile, Chad are aiming for a historic debut in the continental competition, while the Republic of Congo are chasing a return since 2008, when they placed 11th, just two years after finishing fourth on their debut in 2006.
Cameroon have automatically qualified for the final round by virtue of finishing third in the 2024 edition held in South Africa — a feat which culminated in their first appearance at the U19 World Cup.
Zone 5
Uganda, who dominated the 2024 Zone 5 qualifiers to secure their return to continental competition since 2018, will play host in Kampala from 14-21 June.
Seven nations — Burundi, Rwanda, Egypt, Tanzania, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda — will compete for a place in one of the most competitive zones in the region.
Headlined by six-time champions Egypt, who finished fifth in the 2024 U18 AfroBasket tournament, the North Africans will be looking to qualify and compete for a record-breaking seventh title.
Meanwhile, Rwanda, who received a wildcard entry to the 2024 championship, are aiming for their third consecutive appearance on the continental stage and are keen to improve on their eighth-place finish from two years ago.
Burundi, Tanzania and South Sudan are aiming for their first qualification, while Kenya are looking to return since 2008.
Zone 6
Gaborone in Botswana will play host to the Zone 6 qualifiers, the official date of which is yet to be confirmed.
Angola, Zimbabwe and Mozambique will join the hosts in the race for the one available ticket.
Four-time champions Angola are aiming for their 20th appearance in Côte d'Ivoire and are hoping to win the title again, which they last achieved in 2016. They placed sixth two years ago.
Mozambique, two-time silver medallists, are yet to rediscover their former form and will be keen to end their decade-long wait for a return to the continental stage, a feat they last achieved in 2014.
Both Zimbabwe and Botswana are aiming for their first appearance.
Zone 7
In Zone 7, the 2022 silver medallists, Madagascar, will host the Zone's qualifiers in Antananarivo in June (the exact date is yet to be confirmed).
The team are eager to return after missing the tournament in South Africa in 2024.
FIBA