D’Tigers Still in the Race for World Cup, Fizdale

Nigeria's head coach David Fizdale says the team’s dream of reaching the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup is still alive. This comes after the D’Tigers beat Cape Verde 100-84 in their last game of the fourth window of the African Qualifiers. The match took place on Sunday at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès in Radès, Tunisia.

Before this match, Nigeria had a record of 4-4. They needed to win to stay in the race for qualification. Fizdale had stressed the importance of this win before the weekend.

Nigeria started strong, taking the lead from the first tip-off and never letting it go. This win kept their hopes alive as they move toward the final qualifying window.

“We needed that win to stay in the fight and give ourselves a chance,” Fizdale said at the press conference after the game.

“I told the guys if we get to five wins, we are within striking distance of qualifying in the next window.”

The D’Tigers jumped to a 9-0 lead and ended the first quarter 23-9. By half-time, they were up 52-35. The lead grew to 76-54 after three quarters. Nigeria finished the game strong, winning 100-84, with their biggest lead reaching 27 points.

Caleb Agada was the star of the match, scoring 26 points. He shot nine out of 12 from the field, including eight out of 11 from three-point range. He also made six assists in just under 24 minutes.

Agada stepped up when Cape Verde tried to come back. He scored eight points between 3:44 and 1:38 in the final quarter, pushing the game out of reach for their opponents.

Josh Okogie was close to a triple-double, with 15 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, and four steals. He had a game-high efficiency rating of 25 and a plus-28 rating. Chimezie Metu grabbed 12 rebounds, adding six points, four assists, and one steal. Veteran team captain Ike Nwamu scored 14 points.

Fizdale praised the team's improved shooting from long range. He said, “I was really happy, finally we made threes, because we just could not make shots the first two games.”

This win brought Nigeria's record to five wins and four losses. It also renewed their chances of securing a World Cup spot after earlier losses to Cameroon and South Sudan.

The final qualifying window will be in February 2027. The top two teams in each group, plus the best third-placed team, will qualify for the tournament in Qatar.