Sixteen African teams begin their quest for five coveted spots as FIBA reveals the qualifiers draw for the 2027 Basketball World Cup in Qatar.
The draw for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Qualifiers took place on May 13 at Alhazm in Doha, with FIBA Global Ambassador Carmelo Anthony conducting the event. Sir Mo Farah, one of the most decorated long-distance runners in history, high jump icon Mutaz Barshim, and 3×3 basketball legend Yassin Mousa joined him.
The qualifiers will unfold across six global windows between November 2025 and March 2027, featuring a total of 420 games worldwide. Africa will have five qualification windows to determine the five teams that will represent the continent at the 32-team FIBA World Cup 2027 in Doha.
The draw resulted in the following groups:
• Group A: Cameroon, South Sudan, Libya, Cape Verde
• Group B: Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, DR Congo
• Group C: Rwanda, Nigeria, Tunisia, Guinea
• Group D: Mali, Uganda, Egypt, Angola
Sixteen African nations will compete in the qualifiers, divided into four groups of four teams each.
The top three teams from each group will move on to the second round, where the 12 advancing teams will be divided into two groups of six. The top two teams in each group will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the third-placed teams will battle for the final African spot.
Globally, 80 national teams will compete across continents for a place among the final 32 teams heading to Qatar. The road to the World Cup officially begins in November 2025 and concludes in March 2027, with venues to be confirmed.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 will be held in Qatar from August 27 to September 12. Germany claimed the previous title in 2023, defeating Serbia in the final.
