ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - When the eight teams in Groups A and C kicked off their qualifying campaigns for the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket in Dakar last November, it was clear just how competitive these qualifiers are.
From shocking results to new records, the final twelve games of the 2025 AfroBasket offered a little bit of everything, and in this article we look back at what happened in Dakar.
South Sudan no longer unbeaten in Africa
Few saw it coming, but the confidence of the Leopards of DR Congo was out of this world.
Not only did they defeat Mali and Morocco in their first two games, but they ended their trip to Dakar with a remarkable 76-69 victory over high-flying South Sudan to complete a sweep in the first round of Group A.
The win was significant for DR Congo as they became the first African team to beat the Bright Stars of South Sudan since August 2022, when they lost 69-66 in a World Cup qualifier.
Love of the game
The Senegalese fans lived up to their reputation as some of the most passionate in African basketball.
And they made sure to show their love for the game by filling the Dakar Arena every time their heroes took the court. Each of Senegal's games at the Dakar Arena attracted more than 4,500 fans.
Third time lucky for Morocco?
When FIBA Africa announced Morocco as one of the three host countries for Window 3 of the qualifiers, the inevitable question was asked: "Will it be the third time lucky for Morocco?
After losing out to Libya in the preliminaries, Morocco were given a second chance at the qualifiers, replacing Mozambique, but their performance in Dakar left something to be desired as they finished 0-3, along with Gabon.
Senegal triumph in the most electrifying of games
Cameroon stunned Senegal in the final of the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament Africa in Lagos, Nigeria in August 2023, denying the Senegalese the chance to compete for a place at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Aware of Cameroon's impressive improvement in recent years, Senegal were determined to avoid another upset, this time in front of their home fans, in one of the most electrifying matches of Window 2 of the qualifiers.
Although Senegal led by as many as 18 points at one stage, Cameroon went on a scoring spree to take a four-point lead (79-75) with four minutes to play.
The scoreboard read 83-83 with a minute to go before the hosts closed the game on a 4-0 scoring run.
Stars who stole the show on the final day of the Dakar Qualifiers
There will always be debates about the most influential players at a tournament, but when we looked at the numbers and productivity of the players, five stood out from the rest.
Rolly Fula and Jordan Sakho (DR Congo), Brancou Badio (Senegal), Jeremiah Hill (Cameroon) and Wenyen Gabriel (South Sudan) dominated the charts in Window 2 of the qualifiers.
FIBA