D'Tigers drop to 53rd in latest FIBA World Ranking
Nigeria’s men’s national basketball team, D’Tigers, have dropped three places to 53rd in the latest FIBA world rankings released on Thursday.
The new ranking sees Nigeria slide from 50th position globally, while also maintaining eighth place on the African continent with 271.2 ranking points, according to the latest standings published by the International Basketball Federation.
The decline places Nigeria among the joint second-biggest fallers in Africa in the current update, alongside Tunisia, which also slipped three places to 52nd in the world. Rwanda recorded the biggest drop on the continent, falling five places to 86th.
Despite the setback, Nigeria remain eighth in Africa’s basketball hierarchy, trailing South Sudan, Angola, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Senegal, Cape Verde, and Tunisia.
South Sudan continue to lead the continent, sitting 25th in the world with 472.1 points. Angola follow in 32nd place globally with 416.8 points, while Ivory Coast occupy 38th with 358.9 points after an impressive run in recent competitions.
Egypt rank fourth in Africa and 43rd globally with 319.7 points, while Senegal are 48th in the world with 295.9 points. Cape Verde sit 50th with 282.3 points, just ahead of Tunisia in 52nd with 278.2 points and Nigeria in 53rd with 271.2 points.
Cameroon and Mali round off Africa’s top ten, occupying 59th and 64th positions respectively.
Despite the drop in the global standings, Nigeria remain firmly in the race for qualification to the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The team is currently placed 11th in the African qualifiers’ Smart Power Rankings.
D’Tigers have shown flashes of resilience in recent continental action. At the 2025 AfroBasket, Nigeria began strongly, recording a clean sweep in Group B with victories over Madagascar, Tunisia, and Cameroon in the preliminary round. However, their campaign came to an end following a 75–91 defeat to Senegal.
Their World Cup qualification journey remains finely poised. Nigeria currently hold a 1–2 record in the African qualifiers and will need a strong showing during the July qualification window to boost their chances of securing one of the five African tickets to the 2027 tournament in Qatar.
Globally, the United States retained top spot in the rankings after progressing to the second round of the Americas qualifiers. However, the race among the chasing pack remains tight, with Serbia, France, and Canada separated by fewer than three points.
Elsewhere, Greece were among the notable climbers after breaking into the top 12 following qualification for the second round of the European qualifiers, while New Zealand also improved their standing after securing away victories against the Philippines and Guam in the Asian qualifiers.
On the African scene, Ivory Coast were the continent’s highest-ranked movers after an unbeaten start to the qualifiers lifted them to 38th in the world rankings.
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