Who will be crowned champion in 2025? Nigeria have dominated the last four editions and the enthusiasm from rivals to dethrone the West Africans is almost palpable.
2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket gets underway with a lot of excitement as the best players on the continent battle for more than the title.
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WHEN & WHERE:
The 29th edition of the tournament starts on Saturday, July 26 and finishes on Sunday, August 3 with 28 games on show.
Senegal and Guinea in Group C open action. For the first time in Women’s AfroBasket history, Côte d’Ivoire will host the tournament.
The 3500-seater Palais des Sports Treichville is the venue of the games.
PARTICIPATING TEAMS:
The 12 teams have been divided into four groups of three teams each.
Group A: Cote d’Ivoire, Angola, Egypt
Group B: Mali, Cameroon, South Sudan
Group C: Senegal, Uganda, Guinea
Group D: Nigeria, Mozambique, Rwanda
FORMAT OF PLAY:
The top team in each group qualifies for the Quarters with the rest playing a Classification Round for the Quarterfinals.
There are classification games as well to determine the 5-8 places as the top four head to the Semis.
WHAT’S AT STAKE:
Besides being crowned the 2025 African champion, the winner gets a direct ticket to the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup set for Berlin, Germany, from 4-13 September. The other three semi finalists will book a place in one of the qualifying tournaments for the global event.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING:
Six-time champions Nigeria are hoping to clinch their seventh to move closer to Senegal’s record of 11. More importantly, they are looking to become the first team to win five in a row.
Their victory in Rwanda in 2023 saw them join Senegal (1974, 1977, 1979, 1981) as the only two sides to have won four times consecutively.
SOUTH SUDAN DEBUT:
Following in the footsteps of their men’s team who have taken African basketball by storm in the last five years, the Bright Starlets of South Sudan make their debut on a wild card. They finished third in the Zone 5 Qualifiers, behind Uganda and Egypt.
In their third appearance in the Qualifiers, they picked an 86-69 win over neighbours Kenya, their second ever victory. The team’s first win came against Rwanda in the 2023 qualifiers with a 54-40 victory.
With numerous talents spread across the world ready to represent their country, the Bright Starlets are expected to cause some upsets.
History in the making for Nigeria’s Rena Wakama?
Rena Wakama is not just the 2024 Paris Olympics Coach of the Year, but she could also be the first female coach to win back-to-back Women’s AfroBasket titles.
She is the only female head coach at the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket..
MOST APPEARANCES AT WOMEN’S AFROBASKET
Senegal are making their 26th trip to the premier African competition while Angola are on their 21st.
Speaking of longevity, four-time African champion Sara Ogoke continues her quest, having featured in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021, 2023 and now part of the squad for her eighth appearance. There are no signs of stopping for the veteran.
Mozambique’s Leia Dongue made her debut in 2009, and has only missed twice, in 2015 and 2021. Featuring in 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019 and 2023, she is in Abidjan for her seventh appearance.
