Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, have fallen 11 places in the latest FIBA world rankings, sliding from 42nd in March to 53rd in September.
The dip follows D’Tigers’ quarter-final exit at the 2025 AfroBasket tournament in Angola, where the 2015 African champions showed promise in the early stages but could not carry the momentum through to the medal rounds.
On the continental ladder, Nigeria slipped from sixth to eighth, recording 248.7 points compared to the 297.8 they held earlier this year.
FIBA noted that Nigeria were among the biggest fallers in the update, alongside Tunisia, Morocco, Virgin Islands and Kosovo. By contrast, Mali, South Africa, Turkey, Cyprus and Jamaica all made significant gains.
Coach Mohammed Abdulrahman’s side did not enjoy smooth preparations heading into AfroBasket, but the team still managed to impress in the group stage.
They topped Group B with wins over Madagascar, three-time champions Tunisia, and Cameroon. Caleb Agada, Josh Okogie, Stan Okoye and Ike Nwamu stood out with strong individual displays. Their run, however, ended in the quarter-finals after a 91-75 defeat to Senegal.
Attention now turns to the FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifiers in November, with Nigeria seeking a return to the global stage.
The next World Cup will be held in Qatar in 2027, and D’Tigers are determined to make the cut after missing the 2023 edition. Their last appearance came in 2019 in China under former coach Alex Nwora.
Across Africa, South Sudan remain the top-ranked team with 446.7 points, though they dropped one spot globally from 23rd to 24th. Fresh AfroBasket champions Angola climbed to second place on the continent and 29th worldwide. Ivory Coast, Egypt, Senegal, Cape Verde, Tunisia, Cameroon and Mali complete the top ten in Africa.
At the top of the global standings, the United States retained their number one position with 845.8 points. World champions Germany sit second with 765.9, followed by Serbia, France and Canada in the top five.
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