The National Sports Commission has praised Nigeria’s U-18 men’s basketball team after they qualified for the 2026 FIBA U-18 AfroBasket championship. They achieved this with an unbeaten record at the FIBA Africa Zone 3 Qualifiers in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, according to The PUNCH.
The Junior D’Tigers had a perfect run, finishing as Zone 3 champions. They won all four matches, securing an automatic spot at the continental championship set to take place in Ivory Coast from August 3 to 16. With this qualification, Nigeria’s male and female U-18 teams will both compete at the tournament, as the girls also made it.
Nigeria closed out the qualifiers with a strong 100-54 win over Burkina Faso on Saturday. Before that, they beat Benin 96-35 and 101-43, and also defeated Burkina Faso 98-54. The tournament had three teams: Nigeria, Benin, and Burkina Faso, as Liberia pulled out before the competition began.
After the team’s success, Bukola Olopade, the Director-General of the National Sports Commission, congratulated the players for their impressive performances. He encouraged them to keep improving their skills.
“You should continue to develop your game. Olumide Oyedeji and Hakeem Olajuwon were born already. As we speak, Sarah Ogoke is born already. All we need to do is to monitor their progress and plan for them,” Olopade said.
Musa Kida, the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, also commended the team for their strong showing. He credited their success to the hard work of the federation's board and its focus on developing basketball at the grassroots level.
“The NBBF shall continue to lubricate the fan belts of the talent production factories of the game in Nigeria. Our focus remains on improving Nigeria’s growing global status, with greater emphasis on grassroots basketball development,” Kida said.
Nigeria is set to head to Ivory Coast, looking to build on their successful qualifying campaign as they aim for another continental title at the 2026 FIBA U-18 AfroBasket.
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