Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, have suffered a major slide in the latest FIBA world rankings, dropping 11 places from 42nd in March to 53rd in September 2025.
The slip comes despite reaching the quarter-finals of the AfroBasket tournament in Angola last month. The former African champions, who lifted the trophy in 2015, also slid from sixth to eighth on the continental ladder, now holding 248.7 ranking points compared to 297.8 earlier this year.
Nigeria’s fall makes it one of the biggest losers in the latest ranking update, alongside Morocco, Tunisia, the Virgin Islands and Kosovo. Meanwhile, teams like Mali, South Africa, Turkey, Cyprus and Jamaica enjoyed notable climbs.
Led by coach Mohammed Abdulrahman, D’Tigers endured turbulent preparations before AfroBasket 2025 but still managed to top Group B with wins over Madagascar, Tunisia, and Cameroon. Their campaign, however, ended at the quarter-final stage with a 91-75 loss to Senegal.
Despite the setback, several players stood out, including Caleb Agada, Josh Okogie, Stan Okoye and Ike Nwamu, who were pivotal in the team’s group-stage victories.
Attention will now turn to November when the FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifiers begin. Nigeria will be aiming to return to the global stage after missing the 2023 edition in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. Their last World Cup appearance came in China in 2019 under former coach Alex Nwora.
On the African scene, South Sudan retained top spot with 446.7 points, though they dropped slightly on the global scale to 24th. Newly crowned AfroBasket champions Angola surged up four places to second in Africa and 29th in the world. Ivory Coast, Egypt, Senegal, Cape Verde, Tunisia, Cameroon and Mali complete the continent’s top ten.
Globally, the United States remain the dominant force, holding first place with 845.8 points. Current world champions Germany are ranked second with 765.9 points, while Serbia, France and Canada round out the top five.
The rankings underline the challenges facing Nigeria as they try to restore their reputation as a powerhouse of African basketball, especially with South Sudan, Angola and Egypt pushing strongly on the continent.
For D’Tigers, the road to redemption lies in stabilising team preparations, building a cohesive squad, and navigating the World Cup qualifiers successfully.
The drop to 53rd is a wake-up call for administrators, players and fans alike, showing that Nigeria must urgently rebuild its competitive edge if it is to reclaim its status among Africa’s elite.
As the qualifiers draw closer, Nigeria’s basketball faithful will be hoping the lessons from AfroBasket 2025 will spark a turnaround that can propel the team back into contention on both the continental and global stage.
The coming months will determine if D’Tigers can rediscover their roar or remain stuck in the shadows of Africa’s rising forces.
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