MAPUTO (Mozambique) - Third time's the charm! That must have been what the Mozambicans thought when they hosted the 2013 Women's AfroBasket tournament in Maputo, the capital city.
But that didn't happen. Angola took home the gold, and Mozambique finished second for the third time as hosts.
Since then, they have been trying to win the continental trophy elsewhere.
This has been Mozambique's predicament. In all three cases, someone else finished on top but Mozambique.
Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) won the Women's AfroBasket championship in 1986, Nigeria won in 2003, and Angola won in 2013.
Despite having talented players, skilled coaches, and a passionate fan base, Mozambique has yet to win an African title.
They are the only country that has reached the Women's AfroBasket finals three times but never won the top prize.
Can Mozambique turn their fortunes around?
One thing they can be proud of is that they have made it to the quarterfinals of all 12 of the most recent Women's AfroBasket tournaments.
Throughout the years, three teams have consistently emerged as the main impediments to Mozambique's progress: Nigeria, Senegal, and Mali.
These three teams have consistently prevented Mozambique from advancing beyond the Last Eight. However, in 2013, Mozambique overcame Nigeria 77–74 in the quarterfinals before beating Cameroon 61–57 in the semifinals.
Overall, Mozambique boasts a 21–16 winning record at the Women's AfroBasket tournament since 2013.
Carlos Aik was the head coach for the 2023 tournament in Kigali, where they finished fifth.
Nasir Sale has called plays for Mozambique several times, and he is back for the Abidjan tournament, replacing Nilton Manheira, who led the team during the two-game qualifier series in Luanda, Angola, in February 2025.
Leia Dongue, one of Africa's finest players, is returning for her seventh Women's AfroBasket appearance since 2009.
However, Mozambique will be missing Tamara Seda, a former University of Texas at El Paso player, who is absent for personal reasons.
Mozambique can compensate for Seda's absence with the versatile Ingvild Mucauro, the Covane sisters (Carla and Vania), and Silvia Veloso.
According to the FIBA World Rankings, sponsored by Nike, Mozambique is headed to Abidjan as Africa's No. 4 team (No. 32 in the world).
Mozambique lost to Angola 109–108 in the two-game series qualifiers in Luanda in February 2025, but received a FIBA Africa wildcard to enter this year's tournament in Abidjan.
FIBA