Road to 2026 Basketball World Cup: D’Tigers Suffer Back-to-Back Losses Against Guinea

Posted : 30 November 2025

Nigeria’s male basketball team, D’Tigers, suffered a second consecutive defeat in the World Cup qualifiers on Saturday, falling 55–69 to Guinea’s Sylli National (National Elephants) at Salle Multidiscipline de Rades in Tunisia.

Guinea dominated throughout the match, winning every quarter: 16–22, 10–13, 15–17, and 14–17. The visitors outrebounded Nigeria 55–42, made more field goals (35–27), and excelled from three-point range (10–6). The game was officiated by M. Diallo of Mali, with I. Diouachi of Madagascar and A. Abollo of Egypt serving as referees.

D’Tigers had lost the previous day to Tunisia 78–88 after extra time, while Guinea had shocked Rwanda 82–70. These results increase the pressure on Nigeria ahead of their Sunday clash with Rwanda at 5 PM Nigerian Time.

Nigeria, currently ranked 65th in the world, had faced Guinea (ranked 72nd) three times before, winning twice and losing once. In June 2023, Nigeria defeated Guinea 89–70 and 62–59 in World Cup qualifiers but lost 62–65 in a friendly match.

Guinea’s recent form includes an 88–58 win over South Sudan (August 12), a 68–84 loss to Angola (August 14), an 83–65 win against Liberia (August 15), and a 67–70 defeat to Mali (August 18). Despite a 16-year absence from the qualifiers, Guinea has now emerged as a growing threat to African basketball powerhouses.

Nigeria’s August performances included victories over Madagascar (77–69), Tunisia (87–66), and Cameroon (99–90), with a loss to Senegal (75–91). Historically, Nigeria has a stronger record, with Olympic appearances (3), World Cup appearances (3), and multiple medals at AfroBasket (Gold 2015, Silver 1997, 1999, 2003, 2017, Bronze 1995, 2005, 2011) and African Games (Gold 2011, Bronze 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2017).

Guinea, on the other hand, has yet to achieve notable success at the World Cup, Olympic Games, or African Games, with six AfroBasket finals appearances, including a best finish of fourth in Cairo 1962 and an 8th-place finish at Rwanda 2021.

Nigeria will face Rwanda on Sunday, while Guinea will take on Tunisia in a challenging matchup. Next July, Nigeria opens its qualification campaign against Tunisia (2nd), plays Guinea (3rd), and faces Rwanda (5th). Guinea’s schedule mirrors Nigeria’s, with matches against Rwanda, Nigeria, and Tunisia on the same dates.

Road to 2026 Basketball World Cup: D’Tigers Suffer Back-to-Back Losses Against Guinea

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