Nigeria has unveiled a 12-man squad for the first window of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers, with D’Tigers set to tip off their campaign on Thursday in Tunis.

Head coach Abdulrahman Mohammed confirmed the roster ahead of the team’s departure, as Nigeria prepares to begin its Group C battles against hosts Tunisia on Thursday. The group also features Rwanda and Guinea, whom D’Tigers will face on November 29 and 30, respectively.

Former Afrobasket captain Ike Nwamu headlines the team, returning as one of the squad’s most seasoned leaders. He is joined in the backcourt by Stan Okoye and Mike Nuga, while defensive anchor Christopher Obekpa shores up the frontcourt with his trademark rim protection.

In a deliberate move to blend overseas experience with homegrown competitiveness, Coach Mohammed has handed roster spots to three home-based players, signalling his intent to build a team with both grit and balance.

The full squad 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 African qualification series, running from November 2025 to March 2027, begins with 16 Afrobasket 2025 teams split into four groups of four in a double round-robin format. The top three from each pool will advance to the second round.

Nigeria, ranked eighth on FIBA Africa’s power list, faces a demanding path with only five World Cup spots available. In the second phase, the remaining 12 teams will merge into two groups of six, carrying over all first-round results. Each team will then play six more games, with the top two in each group and the best third-placed team sealing qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Doha.

D’Tigers head into Thursday’s opener in Tunis, aiming to set the tone early in what promises to be a long, gruelling qualification journey. Nigeria last reached the World Cup in 2019 but failed to qualify for the 2023 edition hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.