Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, has dropped 11 places in the latest FIBA world rankings, now occupying the 53rd position, following their exit at the AfroBasket 2025 tournament in Angola. The team also slipped from sixth to eighth place in Africa, registering 248.7 points compared with 297.8 in the March 2025 rankings.

The decline places Nigeria among the teams experiencing the largest drops globally, alongside Morocco, Tunisia, the Virgin Islands, and Kosovo, while Mali, South Africa, Turkey, Cyprus, and Jamaica recorded the most significant gains.

Under the guidance of coach Mohammed Abdulrahman, D’Tigers reached the quarter-finals of AfroBasket 2025 but were eliminated by Senegal, losing 91-75. Despite the defeat, players such as Caleb Agada, Josh Okogie, Stan Okoye, and Ike Nwamu delivered notable performances, particularly during the group stage where Nigeria topped Group B with wins over Madagascar, Tunisia, and Cameroon.
“The quarter-final exit was disappointing, but the team showed glimpses of strong play during the group matches,” Abdulrahman said. “We identified areas that need improvement, particularly in preparation and consistency, as we look ahead to upcoming qualifiers.”

The team is now focusing on the FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifiers set to begin in November, aiming to secure a spot at the 2027 edition in Qatar. Nigeria’s last appearance at the FIBA World Cup was in 2019 in China under former coach Alex Nwora.

On the African continent, South Sudan remains the top-ranked team, followed by Angola, Ivory Coast, Egypt, and Senegal. Globally, the United States continues to lead the FIBA rankings, with Germany, Serbia, France, and Canada completing the top five.