By Victor Kanayo
Defending Champions Nigeria will be among 12 countries expected to be in action as from July 28, when this year’s Women’s Afrobasket tournament gets underway in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.
This is after the basketball continental organisers revealed fixtures after the draws of the biennial competition conducted in Maputo, Mozambique.
The Draws
According to the fixtures, Nigeria is drawn in group D and will engage Egypt and DR Congo in the early stages of the Championship.
The tournament which is at its 26th edition will also witness host Rwanda battle Angola and another team yet to be determined after zone 3 qualifying berth.
Also, Cameroon and Mozambique are in Group B, alongside a yet-to-be-named wild card team, while Uganda’s Gazelles are in Group C against 11-time champions Senegal, whose most recent triumph was in 2015, and the 2007 champion Mali.
Next Level
The format of the competition allows top teams from each group pick straight quarter-final tickets, while the remaining will square up in a playoff for the next last eight stage.
D’Tigress Triple Feat
Nigeria’s side also known as D’Tigress won the last three editions of the championship in 2017, 2019 and 2021, as they remained unbeaten.
This year’s championship will be staged between July 28 and August 6, 2023.
The last three events happened in Bamako Mali, Dakar Senegal and Cameroon respectively.
