ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - It's that time of year when excitement and enthusiasm bring African basketball enthusiasts together.
Following the opening round of the tournament in Tunisia last November, eight other national teams are now entering the race for their places at the 2027 Qatar World Cup.
But what exactly is at stake in the second window of the 2027 World Cup Africa qualifiers? This article will explore that very question.
Which teams are competing, and where?
The teams competing in Window 2 of the 2027 World Cup African Qualifiers have been split into two groups of four.
Group B consists of Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar and Senegal.
Senegal will host Group B at the Marius Ndiaye Gymnasium in Dakar.
Group D consists of Angola, Egypt, Mali and Uganda.
Egypt will host Group D at the Borg Al Arab Sports Hall in Alexandria.
When will the games be taking place?
From Thursday, February 26 to Sunday, March 1, the eight teams will play a total of 12 games. Friday, 27 February will be a rest day.
How can you watch the games?
Fans who want to experience the African World Cup Qualifiers first-hand are encouraged to visit the Marius Ndiaye Gymnasium in Dakar and the Borg Al Arab Sports Hall in Alexandria on game days. Tickets will be made available by the host countries' national federations.
Alternatively, the games will be available via FIBA’s broadcast partners, who will offer local and regional coverage.
A full list of broadcasters by country will be announced shortly. Every game will also be available to watch live via streaming on Courtside 1981.
Why bother watching these games?
This is a chance to watch some of Africa's best basketball players compete for their countries.
Like the FIBA AfroBasket, the World Cup African Qualifiers are a source of national pride, with teams looking to put their countries on the world basketball map.
Which star players should we be watching out for?
The final rosters have yet to be finalised, but if the preliminary rosters are anything to go by, expect to see Brancou Badiou (Senegal), Aliou Diarra (Mali), Bruno Fernando (Angola), Ehab Amin (Egypt), Assemian Moulare (Côte d'Ivoire) and the reigning AfroBasket MVP, Childe Dundao, all in action over the three-day competition. Also expect to see Jordan Sakho (DR Congo) and Mathias M'Madi (Madagascar).
What's unique about these eight teams?
Four of the eight teams — Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt and Senegal — have been crowned African champions at some point in their history.
All eight teams share the dream of securing one of the five places available to African teams at the 2027 Qatar World Cup.
Four of the teams — Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt and Senegal — have previously represented the continent on the world stage, most recently in the last two editions of the tournament in 2019 and 2023.
While Angola has participated in all six of the most recent World Cup editions, Madagascar is entering the qualifying tournament for the first time.
Do these 12 games determine who qualifies for the 2027 World Cup?
The first tickets for the 2027 Qatar World Cup may not be awarded until the third or fourth windows of the 2027 World Cup African qualifiers.
However, strong performances at the start of their groups could set teams up for a promising campaign in the qualifiers.
The top three teams in Groups A, B, C and D will advance to the second round of the tournament, where the final 12 teams will compete for the five World Cup tickets.
Meanwhile, the teams that finish bottom of their respective groups will be eliminated.
What does history say about these teams?
Before the introduction of the new competition system, African teams qualified for the World Cup by finishing in the top three at the AfroBasket tournament.
However, since FIBA implemented a new system in 2017, the process has changed.
Here's an overview of how some of the eight teams competing in Dakar and Alexandria performed in the last two World Cup African Qualifiers.
Team | 2019 World Cup African Qualifiers Win-Loss | 2023 World Cup African Qualifiers Win-Loss | Overall Record in the World Cup African Qualifiers | 2019 World Cup - China | 2023 World Cup - Indonesia, Japan, Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Angola | 9-3 | 10-2 | 19-5 | Qualified | Qualified |
Côte d'Ivoire | 7-5 | 10-2 | 17-7 | Qualified | Qualified |
DR Congo | 2-4 | 5-7 | 7-11 | Failed to qualify | Failed to qualify |
Egypt | 6-6 | 8-4 | 14-10 | Failed to qualify | Qualified |
Madagascar | * | * | * | * | * |
Mali | 3-9 | ** | 3-9 | Failed to qualify | Failed to qualify |
Senegal | 10-2 | 6-6 | 16-8 | Qualified | Failed to qualify |
Uganda | 1-5 | 1-9 | 2-14 | Failed to qualify | Failed to qualify |
* - First time to enter the World Cup African Qualifiers ** - Disqualified.
FIBA