ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - In the immediate aftermath of Tuesday's FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 draw in Doha, Qatar, there was uncertainty as to which African teams would secure the five tickets on offer to the 32-team World Championship in 2027.
But one thing that left no one in any doubt was that over the course of the five qualifying windows, there will be plenty of reasons to tune in and watch some of Africa's best teams and players in action.
And here are five games that, whatever your plans, you should consider finding ways to watch.
South Sudan vs Cape Verde (Group A)
Two of the hottest teams to emerge from African basketball in recent times will meet for the first time in a major continental tournament.
The Bright Stars of South Sudan and the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde may not seem to have much in common, but there's a strong resemblance in the way the two teams have risen to the top of African basketball.
It all started in October 2020, when the FIBA Regional Office for Africa hosted a three-nation invitational tournament in Yaounde, Cameroon with Cape Verde, Chad and South Sudan to determine the final team to compete in the 16-nation 2021 AfroBasket Qualifiers.
The islanders from Cape Verde beat South Sudan 91-85 in the final to advance to the qualifiers. South Sudan, however, benefited from a wildcard after Algeria's withdrawal.
Since then, Cape Verde and South Sudan have not only qualified for the 2021 AfroBasket, where they reached the semifinals and quarterfinals respectively, but have also qualified for the 2023 World Cup.
While South Sudan is currently ranked first among African teams, Cape Verde is ranked seventh.
Cote d'Ivoire vs Senegal (Group B)
Before Côte d'Ivoire finished second after beating Senegal in the a 2021 AfroBasket semifinal in Rwanda, the Ivorians and Senegalese had some of the most fascinating battles during the 2019 Basketball World Cup Africa qualifiers.
While the 'Elephants' of Côte d'Ivoire prevailed 67-60 in the first round in Maputo, the latter returned the favor with a 66-61 win in front of their home fans in Dakar.
Ultimately, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal secured two of the five tickets for African teams to the 2019 World Cup in China.
Whether or not these teams show up with some of their best players, it always makes for a fascinating battle.
Côte d'Ivoire is currently ranked second in Africa, while Senegal is eighth.
Senegal vs DR Congo (Group B)
There's one team Senegal desperately needs to beat: the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A significant reason Senegal failed to qualify for the last World Cup was that they lost twice to the Congolese, who upset them (62-57) at home before beating them again (72-60) in Alexandria, Egypt.
Neither team qualified for the World Cup, but with DR Congo finishing 5-1 in the recent AfroBasket Qualifiers - ahead of Africa's No.1 team South Sudan, Senegal will need be ready to avoid another disappointment.
Let's not forget that these teams boast some of Africa's brightest basketball talents.
Nigeria vs Tunisia (Group C)
There is a sense of eternal unfinished business between Nigeria and Tunisia.
In two of Tunisia's three AfroBasket titles (2011 and 2017), Nigeria finished third and second respectively.
And when Nigeria, who won their only AfroBasket title in 2015 after defeating Angola in the final, host Tunisia finished third.
When Nigeria tried to defend its AfroBasket title in 2017, Tunisia proved too much, beating the D'Tigers of Nigeria 77-65 in the final in Rades, on the outskirts of the Tunisian capital, Tunis.
In recent times, Tunisia have had a more experienced squad, while Nigeria have relied on some of their best foreign-based players.
Angola vs Egypt (Group D)
One thing Angola and Egypt can boast about is having some of the best young players on the continent on their rosters.
When they faced each other recently, the games were close, although Angola prevailed by single digits.
During the 2019 Basketball World Cup African qualifiers, Angola beat Egypt 68-64 in Cairo, then won 65-58 on their home court in Luanda.
When Angola and Egypt faced off in the quarterfinal classification round in 2021, Angola won 70–62.
In terms of ranking, Angola and Egypt are separated by one place, with Angola ranking third and Egypt ranking fifth.
For more complete information on the World Cup African Qualifiers, please, click here.
FIBA