Nigeria reignited their 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying campaign with a 100-84 win over Cape Verde in the fourth window of the African Qualifiers at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès in Tunisia. The victory, sealed wire-to-wire, moved D’Tigers back into contention after opening-window defeats to Cameroon and South Sudan.
Caleb Agada lit up the floor with 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 8-of-11 from three-point range, adding four rebounds and six assists in just under 24 minutes. The guard struck decisively in the closing minutes, burying two triples and a two-point basket for eight points between 3:44 and 1:38 of the final quarter to snuff out a Cape Verde push.
David Fizdale’s side charged out of the gates, racing to a 9-0 lead and closing the first quarter 23-9 before taking a 52-35 advantage into halftime. The cushion swelled to 76-54 after three quarters, with the lead peaking at 27 points.
Josh Okogie flirted with a triple-double, delivering 15 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and four steals for an efficiency of 25 and a game-high plus/minus of plus-28. Chimezie Metu hauled in 12 rebounds to go with six points, four assists and a steal.
With the result, Nigeria set up a decisive final qualifying window in February/March 2027, when the top two teams in each group and the best third-placed side will book tickets to the World Cup in Qatar.
