ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - The twelve nations that will descend upon South Africa for this year's FIBA U18 AfroBasket tournament have been decided after a marathon qualification in the different FIBA Africa Zones.
Reigning champions Egypt, hosts South Africa, Angola and Mali, all have qualified automatically to the 12-nation showpiece.
The other eight teams that will descend to Pretoria, include Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Zambia, Côte d'Ivoire and Rwanda.
Winners of the FIBA Africa Zone 1 qualifier, Morocco last participated in the U18 AfroBasket in 2012.
Cameroon (Zone 4) and Senegal (Zone 2) earned their spots in this year's U18 AfroBasket without bouncing a ball following the withdrawal of their opponents.
Nigeria outclassed their opponents in the Zone 3 qualifier held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire to return to the showpiece for the first time since 2010 when the West African country finished ninth in the 11-nation competition.
This will be Nigeria's 12th in a tournament they will be aiming to equal Egypt's 7 titles for most wins.
Uganda successfully defended their home court to win FIBA Africa Zone 5's ticket and will make their first appearance in the competition since 2018.
Winners of FIBA Africa Zone 6 qualifier, Zambia will be one of the two debutant - along Cameroon.
Meanwhile, FIBA Africa awarded wild cards to Côte d'Ivoire (runners-up in Zone 3 qualifier) and Rwanda who finished second in Zone 5's qualifier.
The teams that finish first and second in the FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2024 will earn the right to represent Africa at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup to be held in the Swiss city of Lausanne from June 28, 2025. The eagerly anticipated event will see Switzerland welcoming the world's best young talents at the highest level.
The 12 countries qualified for the FIBA U18 AfroBasket are as follows: - South Africa - Egypt - Mali - Angola - Morocco - Senegal - Nigeria - Cameroon - Uganda - Zambia - Cote d'Ivoire - Rwanda
FIBA