D’Tigers Slide In World Rankings As South Sudan Rules Africa

Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, have experienced a dip in the latest FIBA world rankings, sliding three places to 53rd despite a perfect group-stage record at the recent AfroBasket tournament.

The International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) updated standings show Nigeria accumulating 271.2 points, a tally that sees them fall from 50th to 53rd globally. Within the fiercely competitive African basketball landscape, the team remains stationary at eighth place.

This drop places Nigeria as a joint-second biggest loser on the continent this cycle, matching Tunisia’s three-place descent to 52nd worldwide. The most significant fall in Africa was recorded by Rwanda, which plummeted five spots to 86th.

While Nigeria searches for consistency, South Sudan continues to cement its status as Africa’s basketball powerhouse. The Bright Stars lead the continent from 25th position globally, boasting 472.1 points.

They are followed by traditional powerhouses Angola (2nd in Africa, 32nd in the world) and a resurgent Ivory Coast team. The Ivorians were the standout climbers in this ranking update, their unbeaten run in the continental qualifiers propelling them to 3rd in Africa and 38th globally.

Rounding out the continent’s top five are Egypt (4th in Africa, 43rd globally) and Senegal (5th in Africa, 48th globally). Nigeria finds itself in a congested mid-tier, trailing Cape Verde (50th) and Tunisia (52nd), while leading the chase from Cameroon (59th) and Mali (64th).

Despite the ranking setback, D’Tigers remain firmly in the hunt for a spot at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Currently positioned 11th in the African qualifiers’ Smart Power Rankings, Nigeria’s path to Qatar is a delicate one.

The team showed flashes of brilliance at the 2025 AfroBasket, sweeping aside Madagascar, Tunisia, and Cameroon to finish the preliminary round with a flawless 3–0 record in Group B. However, that momentum was halted in the knockout stages by a 75–91 defeat to Senegal.

That resilience now needs to translate to the World Cup qualifiers. With a current record of 1–2, Nigeria faces a crucial window in July. Strong performances will be essential to secure one of the five African slots available for the 2027 tournament.

On the world stage, the United States retains its iron grip on the number one spot after advancing in the Americas qualifiers. The race behind them is intensely competitive, with Serbia, France, and Canada separated by a razor-thin margin of fewer than three points.

Elsewhere, Greece has cracked the top 12 following a successful European qualifying window, while New Zealand has risen on the back of key away victories over the Philippines and Guam in the Asian region.