Nigeria’s D’Tigers face South Sudan in Radès, Tunisia, on Friday in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers, looking to recover from a 78-62 defeat by Cameroon the previous day. The result exposed offensive struggles and tightened the race in Group E, where only one point separated Cameroon from Guinea, Tunisia, Nigeria and South Sudan entering the second round.
Cameroon’s 23-14 first quarter proved decisive after Nigeria led 6-2 early. D’Tigers tied the second period 18-18 but could not close the gap. Caleb Agada scored 13 points for Nigeria, with Efe Abogidi adding 12 and Ike Nwamu 10. Josh Okogie contributed seven points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Cameroon were led by Yves Missi’s 24 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
South Sudan arrive in form, having beaten Guinea 81-71 in their second-round opener. Carlik Jones posted 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists, while Majok Deng scored 14 and JT Thor added 11. The Bright Stars forced 14 turnovers and held Guinea to 32 per cent from the field. FIBA’s statistics show South Sudan averaging 82.4 points per game to Nigeria’s 77.1, with 21.7 assists against 18.3 and a 27.5 three-point percentage compared with Nigeria’s 23.8.
South Sudan are Africa’s top-ranked team according to FIBA, though Nigeria have won both previous meetings, taking the FIBA AfroBasket qualifiers 76-56 in November 2020 and 75-70 in February 2021. Forward Chima Moneke returns for his first official senior international outing since the 2021 AfroBasket qualifiers. The top two teams in Group E will qualify directly for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.
