Afrobasket 2021: Here are things to know

If you’re looking for a break from thinking about the pandemic then look no further than the wash of international sports tournaments going on now.

In addition to the Olympics, the AfroBasket tournament is upon us once again! Following a turbulent 18 months with the global pandemic, it will be great to see the pinnacle of African basketball take place to give us something to cheer for.

We will be providing you with a full rundown of the upcoming AfroBasket 2021 competition, including our own exclusive prediction for the overall winner.

AfroBasket 2021
AfroBasket is the men’s continental tournament for nations across the African continent. The tournament takes place every 4 years and is regarded as the biggest championship in Africa, with the winner holding on to the bragging rights until the next one!

AfroBasket was founded in 1962, with this year’s tournament being the 30th edition. The city of Kigali in Rwanda will be the host for AfroBasket 2021, after beating Senegal, Ivory Coast and DR Congo to host the premier tournament on the African continent. Rwanda’s efforts were bolstered by the excellent handling of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) earlier in the year.

AfroBasket 2021 was supposed to commence on 17th August, but due to the current global pandemic, it will now begin on 24th August with the final being played on 5th September.

The format for AfroBasket 2021 involves 4 groups of 4 teams. The top team in each group goes straight through to the quarter final stage. The second and third place teams enter a knockout playoff game, with the winners joining the first placed teams in the quarterfinals.

The remainder of the tournament is a knockout with the eventual winner taking home the gold medal.

Who is Competing?
Out of the 16 qualified teams for AfroBasket 2021, only 2 Arabic nations managed to make the final cut – Egypt and Tunisia. Both nations have a great chance of winning the championship this year due to their talented rosters.

Both finalists in the 2021 BAL season were from Egypt and Tunisia! They have also been drawn together in Group B which should make for an exciting start to the tournament.

Other countries involved in AfroBasket 2021 include (shown in their respective groups):
Group 1 – Rwanda, DR Congo, Angola, Cape Verde.
Group 2 – Tunisia, Central African Republic, Egypt, Guinea.
Group 3 – Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali.
Group 4 – Senegal, Cameroon, South Sudan, Uganda.

15 teams made it through to the championships following a 2-stage qualification tournament within their respective FIBA Africa subzones. Rwanda automatically qualified for the tournament as they are the host nation.

How We Can watch
There are numerous ways that we can watch the upcoming AfroBasket tournament as several companies will broadcast it across the continent. If you are interested in watching the upcoming games, please check out beIN Sports, ESPN Africa and Canal+ Afrique.

If you are unable to subscribe to these television broadcasters (and you can’t attend the games live), then live streaming may be the best option. We can livestream all the games from AfroBasket 2021 at theBAL.com and most sportsbooks in your area.

So, if you are thinking of having a wager on any of the games, be sure to check your sportsbook for the live feed.

Predictions!
Across the world, sports bettors are looking to AfroBasket as a bit of a return to normalcy and prediction after a year of pandemic craziness. There are a few teams that have a shot at winning the upcoming AfroBasket. These teams include Angola, Tunisia and Egypt.

Angola have won the tournament 11 times in the last 15 editions. In the 4 times they did not win, they came second twice and third once. The only time they finished outside of the medal places was at the last edition – AfroBasket 2017. There is a strong case to back them at AfroBasket 2021, but this is not our prediction.

Tunisia is another team to look out for as they have a great roster and are the current holders of the gold medal.

Our prediction for AfroBasket 2021 is for EGYPT to win!

They were strong in the earlier editions, winning it a total of 5 times, but they have not been able to get over the hump in recent editions – placing second, third and fourth. We believe that 2021 is the year for Egypt to regain top spot because the current roster boasts several great players, including a few who were part of the 2021 BAL champions, Zamalek.

The player to watch in this year’s tournament for Egypt is Anas Mahmoud. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in the 2021 BAL, and we think defences will have the upper hand throughout the AfroBasket 2021 championship.

Remember that in late September, the women’s national teams will be tipping off in their AfroBasket tournament in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Let’s