Your weekly dose of FIBA Africa Zone 3 News: Nigeria discover their opponents for the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifiers, Hoops and Read makes a winning statement in Lagos, Spintex Knights and Elan Coton get set to battle in the Road to BAL and more.
Last Updated on
October 12, 2025
Nigeria's D’Tigress were drawn to face France, Colombia, the Philippines, Germany, and Korea in the Qualifying Tournament for the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup.
The draw, held on October 7 in Mies, Switzerland, finalised the matchups for the final stage of qualification ahead of next year’s Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany. The recently crowned African champions will play in Lyon-Villeurbanne, France, one of four cities selected by FIBA to host the qualifying tournaments from March 11 to 17, 2026.
The qualifying tournaments will take place across four cities —Wuhan (China), Lyon-Villeurbanne (France), San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Istanbul (Türkiye), and will feature 24 teams in total. Each city will host six teams, with 11 qualification spots still available. The top three teams from each tournament will earn their place in Berlin, joining the automatically qualified nations.
Although Nigeria have already secured automatic qualification as winners of the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2025, they will still participate alongside other Continental Cup champions, USA, Australia, Belgium, and eventual World Cup hosts Germany.
Elsewhere, action from the men's half Hoops and Read Basketball Club of Lagos emerged the winners of the 4th edition of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Unity Basketball Championship, following a 55–52 victory over another Lagos-based club, Police Baton in the final held on last Sunday, October 5th, at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos.
The opening quarter finished all square with 12 points apiece and the Hoops and Read team stepped up their performance in the second quarter as they ran out 17–8 winners to go into the break leading by nine points at 29–20.
Another 14-9 success in the third quarter saw them hold a comfortable lead as they approached the final quarter but a late rally Police Baton who were led by their veterans Kayode Balogun and Williams Malu against the young side helped them secure a 13–11 win in the final quarter but ended up as a case of too little, too late, as the Hoops and Read held their own to close out the win.
Ikenna Okpaluba of Hoops and Read who was named as the competition's Most Valuable Player (MVP) finished with 14 points, two steals, and five rebounds, while Adebayo Oduleye contributed 12 points, five assists, three steals, and four rebounds.
After the victory, winning coach, Dossou Mensah, admitted that it was a tough game that required resilience and tactical discipline to secure victory.
“We knew it would not be an easy match. Police Baton has great experience, but our turnaround in the second quarter gave us confidence.”
Oyo state based team Oluyole finished third after defeating Delta Force 68–55.
Competition's Top Five was Ikenna Okpaluba, Adebayo Oduleye both of Hoops and Read, Uwvo Louis (Oluyole Warriors), Eze Saviour (Delta Force) and Michael Steve (Police Baton).
The Nigerian Armed Forces, through the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, reaffirmed their commitment to national unity through sports as a symbol of togetherness. Musa expressed satisfaction with the level of competition and organization, commending the Local Organising Committee for a job well done.
He noted that Lagos, the Centre of Excellence, provided the perfect setting for the fourth edition of the tournament. He also added that the Unity Cup train would move to the South-East, with Imo, Anambra, or Enugu State being considered as host locations.
“We also want to have a basketball clinic for the youth. All we are trying to do is to unite Nigeria. We are one family, we should come together and work together. We all know that sports unifies Nigerians and basketball is one of them. It is a wonderful game, and we want to continue to encourage it. We are not only doing basketball; we are also doing football and other events. The idea is to give everybody the opportunity to come together, to be united, and to work together as a team.”
Hoops and Read received a cash prize of N2 million, while Police Baton and Oluyole Warriors earned N1.5 million and N1 million respectively.
Following their title victory back in August, the quadruple reigning champion of the Benin Republic is preparing to take part in the Western Division Qualifiers of the 2025 Road To BAL.
It will be their third appearance in the competition, and they will be hoping that a successful campaign could see them qualify for the Basketball Africa League.
They have been placed in Group B of the Western Division Qualifiers alongside the Youth Club of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the Spintex Knights, Ghana, and a Liberian team, with the competition tipping off on October 15th and running till October 19th, 2025.
Elsewhere, Beninoise international Taylor Kameron was in action for his Valencia side as they beat Barcelona 93-81 in the opening league game on Sunday, October 5th. Taylor was one of the top performers in the game, posting 11 points, five assists and one rebound inside the Roig Arena in Spain.
Spintex Knights of Ghana are currently preparing for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualifiers and have since begun training. They have also called for public support, including a recent $20 fan support campaign, to help them "conquer Africa" and elevate Ghanaian basketball on the continent.
Head Coach Selorm Thomas recently discussed the team's journey and goals, highlighting the need for national support and discussing his team's recruitment for the competition.
"We spoke to two Ghanaian players based overseas who showed interest in the initial conversation but have bailed on us. On the flip side, we’ve brought in a Ghanaian-Canadian point guard who usually works out with Jamal Murray during the summer and we already like his positive influence on the team. We are also in the process of bringing another player who has played in the FIBA World Cup to help the team achieve our aim."
The tournament will be held next week from October 15th to 19th, 2025.
The Liberia Basketball League Finals exploded into action with a nail-biting Game 1 that lived up to the hype. In a classic defensive battle, the NPA Pythons, who had ended the reign of defending champions Mighty Barolle in the last round, caused another stir by edging the first game with a four-point win on the road over title favourites, the LPRC Oilers, in a 50-46 victory to go 1-0 up in the series.
Before tip-off, a physical game was anticipated, as both teams fought for every possession, with points at a premium as defences dominated, and it remained that way deep into the fourth quarter. Experience eventually paid off for the Pythons as they made critical plays to close out the win.
"We did not follow instructions," Oilers forward Coleman B. Austin said afterwards. "I think we have to prepare more and come for the next phase. When we took the lead in the third quarter, I thought it was the chance we had to win, but unfortunately, we lost it."
The Oilers are expected to stage a big fightback in Game 2, as their recent history shows it is possible to rebound from an opening loss against the Spartacus during regular games and then dismantle them in the playoffs. Basketball fans are bracing up for what could be a thrilling series on the road to the championship.
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