LUANDA (Angola) - Four years ago, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Cape Verde reached the semifinals, while Angola settled for fifth place.
During the 2017 tournament, which was co-hosted by Senegal and Tunisia, Nigeria finished second, Senegal took home the bronze medal, Cameroon finished fifth, Angola recorded their worst result in three decades by finishing seventh, and Egypt finished eighth.
Now that they are all back in the Last Eight of the tournament, we break down the series with an insightful view of recent events.
Côte d'Ivoire vs. Mali, August 20, 2025, 16:00 Local Time: (GMT+1)
Losses to Egypt and Senegal, as well as a win over Uganda, kept Mali's Group D campaign alive.
They eventually overcame Guinea in a hard-fought round of 16 matchup. Now, they are preparing for Wednesday's match against high-flying Côte d'Ivoire.
Meanwhile, Côte d'Ivoire stands as one of four teams in the tournament with a perfect 3-0 record before the quarterfinals begin. The other three teams are Angola, Egypt, and Nigeria.
Côte d'Ivoire and Mali emerged as the lowest scoring teams in the quarterfinals, averaging 78 and 71 points per game, respectively.
Mali and Côte d'Ivoire have some similarities, but only Senegal comes close to Mali when it comes to protecting the rim, leading the tournament with 6.3 blocks per game.
However, Côte d'Ivoire averages the second-highest number of steals per game (11.6), behind only Angola.
Historically, the Ivorians and the Malians have faced off five times in the last decade, with the Ivorians prevailing four times. Their most recent meeting occurred at the 2021 AfroBasket, where Côte d'Ivoire's Elephants came out on top, 76–57, before finishing second in the tournament.
Two-time Basketball Africa League (BAL) Defensive Player of the Year, Aliou Diarra, and former U18 AfroBasket MVP, Siriman Kanoute, have led Mali through their first four games in Luanda.
Diarra and Kanouté led Mali in almost all the game's key statistical categories.
Meanwhile, Côte d'Ivoire left the Angolan city of Moçâmedes with a perfect 3-0 record, though it wasn't without a fight, especially from Cape Verde, whom they narrowly defeated 82-81 in the final seconds.
The winning basket required a review from the officiating team.
This matchup against Mali marks Côte d'Ivoire's first game in Luanda.
Matt Costello has been the go-to guy for Côte d'Ivoire, averaging team highs of eight rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks, while scoring second-highest with 10 points per game.
Unlike Côte d'Ivoire, who reached the 2021 AfroBasket final with a 5–0 record before falling to the eventual champions, Tunisia, Mali had a disappointing campaign four years ago, finishing with a 0–3 record in Kigali, Rwanda.
Nigeria vs. Senegal, August 20, 2025, 19:00 Local Time: (GMT+1)
If there are two teams that have faced each other countless times over the years in the African basketball scene, it's Nigeria and Senegal—two powerhouses on the continent.
The two teams could have potentially met later in this tournament if Senegal hadn't lost to Egypt in Group D, relegating them to second place.
The D'Tigers of Nigeria reached the Last Eight of FIBA Africa's flagship tournament undefeated, having beaten Cameroon, Tunisia, and Madagascar in three games. A key detail that catches even the most distracted fan's attention is that Nigeria scored the most points per game with an average of 87.7, compared to Senegal's 80.8. The Senegalese have played one more game than the Nigerians so far.
In their last meeting at the 2023 FIBA Basketball Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Nigeria, Senegal overcame the hosts 93–87. Senegal eventually lost to Cameroon in the final, while Nigeria fell short in the group phase.
In addition to that pre-Olympic clash, Nigeria and Senegal have faced off four other times in the last decade, with D'Tigers prevailing three times.
Houston Rockets new signing Josh Okogie has been one of Nigeria's most productive players, averaging team highs of 18 points, 4.3 assists, and a 19.7 efficiency rating.
Brancou Badiou leads Senegal in scoring with 18.5 points per game. Reigning BAL MVP Jean Jacques Boissy is the team's second scoring option, contributing 13.3 points per game. Ibou Badji appears as the team's most impactful player in the paint with a team-high 9.7 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game and an efficiency rating of 17.3.
FIBA