Nigeria have confirmed a 12-man squad for the opening window of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African qualifiers, with D’Tigers set to begin their campaign on Thursday in Tunis.
Head coach Abdulrahman Mohammed announced the roster ahead of the team’s departure, as Nigeria prepare to face hosts Tunisia in their Group C opener. The group also features Rwanda and Guinea, with fixtures scheduled for November 29 and 30.
Former Afrobasket captain Ike Nwamu leads the squad, returning as one of the team’s most experienced players. He is joined by guards Stan Okoye and Mike Nuga, while shot-blocking specialist Christopher Obekpa anchors the frontcourt.
Mohammed has also called up three home-based players, a move aimed at blending overseas experience with domestic energy and depth.
The full roster includes Olisa Akonobi, Paul Dibal, Chingka Garba, Morris Udeze, Mike Nuga, Ike Nwamu, Christopher Obekpa, Jordan Ogundiran, Augustine Okafor, Stan Okoye, Ugo Simon and Talib Zanna.
The Nigeria Basketball Federation says the team is “locked and loaded” for the first window, stressing that the qualifiers offer a chance for D’Tigers to reassert themselves on the continent after several inconsistent years.
The African qualifiers run from November 2025 to March 2027, featuring 16 teams from Afrobasket 2025. They are split into four groups of four in a double round-robin format, with the top three in each group progressing.
Nigeria, ranked eighth on FIBA Africa’s power rankings, must navigate a tough qualification route, with only five African teams earning places at the World Cup in Doha.
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The second phase sees the 12 remaining teams re-grouped into two pools of six, with first-round results carried over. Each team will play six additional matches, and only the top two in each pool, plus the best third-placed side, will qualify.
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Nigeria last reached the World Cup in 2019 and missed out on the 2023 edition. They begin their latest bid in Tunis aiming for a strong start to a long qualification campaign.
