Mali opened their FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers campaign with an 86-77 victory over Egypt, powered by Oumar Ballo’s 23-point double-double. Mali controlled more than 37 minutes, built a halftime cushion, and resisted Egypt’s late fourth-quarter surge.
Last Updated on
February 27, 2026
In one of the most highly anticipated matchups in Window 2, Mali faced Egypt at home in the Borg Elarab Arena in Alexandria. It was nothing short of the recent momentum of West Africans going head-to-head with a team that boasts historical precedents. The game lived up to its billing, as Mali stunned Egypt in Alexandria, 86-77, to register an opening-day win in the FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers Window 2.
Oumar Ballo, who was the main story of the game, finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists in 36 minutes of play, and he failed to turn the ball over once, dunking six times while shooting 9-of-15 from the floor.
Alongside Ballo was Siriman Kanoute, who ran the offence and nearly put up a triple-double, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists, dictating the pace all game. A strong Mamoudou Diarra came off the bench and registered 18 points to stretch the game past the home side. For Egypt, Amr Abdelhalim carried the team, scoring 22 points in 22 minutes and going 10-of-11 from the free throw line as Egypt struggled to find consistency throughout the game.
The visitors started like a house on fire as they went on a 6-0 run in the opening two minutes of the game to show their intent in this window before as Fousseyni Drame, Ballo and Kanoute all made early baskets before Patrick Gardner finished off an offensive rebound to reduce the tally and a beautiful transition play saw Ahmed Metwaly score from behind the arc to make it a one-point game at 6-5. By the time we were halfway through the first quarter, the Malians had recorded 7 fast-break points before Metwaly scored from behind the arc to reduce the deficit to a one-point game again.
The Malians didn't relent in the entire quarter as they matched their physicality with that of the Pharaohs, as the lead eventually changed with about two minutes left on the clock when the home side was up by just a point. The Malians eventually closed out the first quarter with a four-point advantage at 26-22 despite Amr Abdelhalim hitting a three-point shot at the buzzer.
Early in the second quarter, Egypt took a 28-29 lead after Adam Moussa scored on a fast break layup off a Mali turnover. That lead only lasted about a minute, as Ballo and Kanoute answered with back-to-back baskets to make it 32-29 with 5:45 left in the half, and the West Africans never trailed again, standing very resolute as they won the quarter by eight points, heading into the halftime break with a 46-34 scoreline.
Since their meeting at the 1999 AfroBasket in Angola, Egypt have led the head-to-head series 6–2, reinforcing their superiority with a 74–59 victory at the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket last August. Still, the trajectory was going in a different direction tonight. After the break, the homeside were expected to lead a strong fightback, especially as they had the support of the locals, who were cheering them on late into the night. Still, it was Mali that continued its dominance in the third quarter, closing it out with a 23-16 win to open a 19-point lead heading into the final quarter.
The Malians continued to draw on their growing confidence in the game, making more transition plays to increase their tally. At the same time, Egypt, which had relied on its experience, secured a fourth-quarter win (27-17), but it was too little, too late as the Malians steadied themselves and finished off the tie with nine points.
The West Africans owned the paint, outscoring Egypt 58-42 inside, and also controlled the glass on second-chance opportunities, turning offensive rebounds into 24 points, compared to Egypt's 14. Egypt had the edge in fast break points, 24-18, and got more from their bench, 39-23.
But Mali took better care of the ball when it mattered and made fewer mistakes in the half-court, leading for 37 minutes and 36 seconds with a 23-point lead, while Egypt's biggest lead was just one point and lasted just over two minutes.
[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]
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