Nigeria’s men’s senior basketball national team, D’Tigers will go all out for victory on Sunday in their final game of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, as they take on Cape Verde in a must-win’ fixture, Sports247 reports.
David Fizdale’s squad know that a third defeat on the bounce would not only rubbish their credentials and status in the eyes of basketball buffs, but it could equally prove to be very damaging in their hopes of reaching the FIBA World Cup in Qatar.
This comes after D’Tigers failed to recover from their opening day 78-62 defeat by Cameroon, as they fell 82-79 to South Sudan on Friday in their second fixture of the fourth qualifying window in Rades, Tunisia; thereby giving the Nigerians a pretty difficult task in their final tie on Sunday.
However, all hope would not be lost even if they lose on Sunday, as they can still muscle in through the extensive qualification format that gives Africa five places at the global tournament in Qatar, with opportunities also lingering for ‘best losers.’
D’Tigers are one of 12 teams that advanced from round one and are divided into two sets for the second phase, with Nigeria in Group E alongside Guinea, Tunisia, Cameroon, South Sudan and Cape Verde, but they play only the last three, having defeated the other two in the previous window.
At the end of the second round, the top two teams in each group will qualify automatically, while the best third-placed team across the two groups will also secure a World Cup ticket, which means D’Tigers could also still get in ‘through the back door.’
An analysis by Austine Agbo Emmanuel of Blueprint newspaper noted in part, “Despite the back-to-back defeats, Nigeria’s World Cup dream is not mathematically over, but the team’s margin for error has become extremely thin.
“The format keeps the door open for D’Tigers, but their latest results have made the road considerably more difficult. A victory would not automatically guarantee qualification, but it would give Nigeria a much-needed boost and keep their hopes alive heading into the final qualifying window in February 2027.
“A defeat, however, would leave the Nigerians facing an extremely difficult path and potentially dependent on a complicated combination of results elsewhere.
Following Friday’s defeat, Nigeria are now 4-4 in the qualifying campaign, according to the latest standings.
“Before the start of the current window, Nigeria had a 4-2 record in Group E and were among a tightly packed group of teams competing for the leading positions. FIBA listed Cameroon, Guinea, Tunisia, Nigeria and South Sudan as serious contenders, with only a few points separating the teams.”
