Lagos, Nigeria – Nigeria’s men’s national basketball team, widely known as D’Tigers, has dropped three places to 53rd in the latest world rankings released on Thursday by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Okay News reports that this movement sees the team fall from 50th in the global standings, while maintaining eighth position among African nations with 271.2 ranking points.
The drop makes Nigeria the joint second-largest faller among African teams, alongside Tunisia, which fell to 52nd globally. Rwanda experienced the steepest decline in Africa, slipping five spots to 86th. Within the continent, Nigeria remains behind South Sudan, Angola, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Senegal, Cape Verde, and Tunisia.
South Sudan leads Africa in the global rankings at 25th with 472.1 points, followed by Angola at 32nd with 416.8 points, and Ivory Coast in 38th position with 358.9 points. Egypt is ranked 43rd worldwide with 319.7 points, while Senegal sits 48th with 295.9 points. Cape Verde is 50th with 282.3 points, Tunisia 52nd with 278.2 points, and Nigeria 53rd with 271.2 points. Cameroon and Mali round out Africa’s top ten at 59th and 64th, respectively.
Despite the decline, Nigeria remains active in the qualification race for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup, currently ranked 11th in the African qualifiers’ Smart Power Rankings. D’Tigers displayed strong form in the 2025 AfroBasket tournament, winning all three Group B preliminary round matches against Madagascar, Tunisia, and Cameroon. However, a 75–91 loss to Senegal ended their championship run.
Nigeria’s World Cup qualification campaign remains finely balanced, with a current record of one win and two losses in the African qualifiers. The team will need a strong performance in the July window to secure one of five slots allocated to African nations for the 2027 tournament in Qatar.
Globally, the rankings remain stable at the top, with the United States retaining the number one spot after advancing to the second round of the Americas qualifiers. Serbia, France, and Canada are closely matched, separated by fewer than three points in the global race. Greece moved into the top twelve following the European qualifiers, and New Zealand improved after away victories against the Philippines and Guam in the Asian qualifiers.
Among African teams, Ivory Coast recorded the most notable rise after an unbeaten start in continental qualifiers, climbing to 38th in the world standings.
