Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, have fallen 11 places to 53rd in the world, following the latest FIBA rankings released after a busy summer of international tournaments.
The 2015 African champions also slipped from sixth to eighth in Africa, now holding 248.7 points, down from 297.8 in March 2025. Nigeria’s drop places them among the biggest fallers, alongside Morocco, Tunisia, Virgin Islands, and Kosovo. Meanwhile, Mali, South Africa, Turkey, Cyprus, and Jamaica emerged as the biggest climbers.
Led by coach Mohammed Abdulrahman, D’Tigers reached the quarter-finals of AfroBasket 2025 in Angola but were knocked out by Senegal in a 91-75 defeat. Despite the setback, standout performances came from Caleb Agada, Josh Okogie, Stan Okoye, and Ike Nwamu.
The team had topped Group B after victories over Madagascar, Tunisia, and Cameroon, but their inconsistent preparation leading into the tournament showed during the knockout stage.
Nigeria will now turn attention to the FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifiers, beginning in November, as they aim to book a place at the 2027 edition in Qatar. The last time they appeared at the World Cup was 2019 in China, under Alex Nwora.
On the continent, South Sudan remain Africa’s top-ranked side, followed by Angola, Ivory Coast, Egypt, and Senegal. Globally, the USA lead the rankings, with Germany, Serbia, France, and Canada rounding out the top five.
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