By Joe Apu
Nigeria’s D’Tigers will next month know her group stage opponents following FIBA Africa’s confirmation that the official draw for the 16-nation tournament will be conducted on Friday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m. local time at the Hotel HCTA in Luanda.
D’Tigers in February, against all odds, picked all three games at the last window of the AfroBasket Qualifiers held in Tripoli, Libya defeating the host 75-70 in the opening game, took Uganda to the cleaners 87-67 and rounded up with 77-62 win over Cape Verde to finish with 9 points behind Libya (10 points) and Cape Verde (9 points) on the table.
FIBA Africa has also officially announced that the Angolan cities of Luanda and Namibe will host the 2025 edition of AfroBasket, the continent’s premier men’s basketball championship.
The tournament, which will run from August 12 to 24, will see the Group Phase matches staged in both Luanda and Namibe, while the Final Phase will be held exclusively in the capital city, Luanda.
Matches in Namibe are scheduled to take place at the 3,500-capacity Pavilhao Multiusos Welwitschia Mirabilis, while Luanda’s 12,700-seater Kilamba Arena will serve as the main venue for the final stages of the competition.
Angola has a strong history with AfroBasket, having previously hosted the tournament in 2007 across five cities—Benguela, Cabinda, Huambo, Luanda, and Lubango.