Fizdale Names Strong 12-Man D’Tigers Squad for World Cup Qualifiers

Posted : 21 August 2026

D’Tigers head coach David Fizdale has named a 12-man squad for Nigeria’s fourth window of the 2027 FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup African qualifiers. The team will regroup in Tunisia ahead of three crucial second-round games from August 27 to 30.

The squad includes Chimezie Metu, Josh Okogie, Caleb Agada, Stanley Okoye, Chima Moneke and Ike Nwamu. Udoka Azubuike, Efe Abogidi, Ebuka Izundu, Manny Obaseki, Jordan Ogundiran and Michael Efevberha complete the roster.

Okogie is one of the biggest additions to the team. The Utah Jazz guard returns to the national side after featuring for Nigeria at the 2025 AfroBasket, where he averaged 14.5 points, four rebounds and four assists per game. He also scored 33 points in Nigeria’s group-stage victory over Tunisia.

The roster also contains significant NBA and G League experience. Metu has played in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons, while Azubuike was selected 27th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Moneke’s return is another major talking point. The forward is set to make his first appearance for Nigeria in an official senior international match since the 2021 FIBA AfroBasket qualifiers, when he averaged six points and 5.3 rebounds across three games.

Fizdale has made substantial changes to the squad that completed the previous qualifying window in July. Only four players from that 12-man roster have been retained: Agada, Metu, Nwamu and Okoye.

The changes come after Nigeria produced an impressive turnaround in July. D’Tigers defeated Tunisia 84-81, edged Guinea 80-79 and then crushed Rwanda 106-62 to finish the window with a perfect 3-0 record. The results helped Nigeria advance to the second round after an uncertain start to the qualifying campaign.

Nigeria are in Group E with Cameroon, South Sudan, Guinea, Tunisia and Cape Verde. The group currently includes Cameroon on 5-1, while Guinea, Tunisia, Nigeria and South Sudan are all on 4-2, making the second round highly competitive.

D’Tigers will face Cameroon on August 27, South Sudan on August 28 and Cape Verde on August 30 in Radès. The results from the opening round carry forward, while the top two teams in the group and the best third-placed team across the two groups will qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.

Fizdale will be assisted by Dan Craig, Quinton Crawford, former D’Tigers captain Deji Akindele and Dapo Adegbile. The American coach will now look to use the strengthened squad to maintain Nigeria’s momentum and secure a strong position before the final qualifying window in February 2027.

Fizdale Names Strong 12-Man D’Tigers Squad for World Cup Qualifiers

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