- D’Tigers defeat Rwanda 75-69 in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
- Nigeria grabs first win after losing opening two qualification games.
- Match stretched into overtime after Rwanda forced a late comeback.
- Victory keeps Nigeria’s World Cup qualification hope alive.
Nigeria’s D’Tigers secured their first win in the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers after beating Rwanda 75-69 in a tense overtime encounter in Radès, Tunisia. The victory finally broke their losing run and restored confidence in their qualification campaign.
The D’Tigers battled through a gruelling third qualifier to overcome Rwanda in a dramatic overtime finish on Sunday. The match began with more frustration for Nigeria as they fell behind early and dropped the opening quarter 21-12. Their earlier defeats against Tunisia and Guinea already left supporters anxious, and the first quarter felt like a repeat of those shaky performances.
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Nigeria slowly found their rhythm in the second quarter and trimmed the deficit to 27-25 at halftime. The shift in momentum continued after the break, and D’Tigers finally took control in the third quarter with a 45-36 lead after a strong defensive stand.
However, Rwanda refused to bow. They forced the match into overtime after a fierce fourth-quarter response. But when the game reached the decisive moments, Nigeria held their nerve and sealed the 6-point win, 75-69.
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With this victory, D’Tigers now sit third in Group C and remain firmly in the race for a World Cup ticket.
Speaking after the game, one senior team member emphasized the importance of the result: “This win means everything for our qualification journey,” he said. “We had to prove we could respond under pressure, and today we did.”
All teams in the group will face one another again in the next phase of the qualifiers. The top three teams from this round will move into the final qualification stage, where only five African teams will eventually book a spot in the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar.
