The 2025 AfroBasket qualifiers, which concluded at the Salle Ibn Yassine in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday, February 23, confirmed the 16 teams which will compete at this year's finals from August 12-24, with some teams securing their places on the final day. The qualifiers began with Window 1 in Monastir, Tunisia, and Cairo, Egypt, in February 2024, and continued with Window 2 in Dakar, Senegal, before making their final stops this month in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Rabat, and Tripoli, Libya. Of the 20 nations that took part in the qualifiers, Central African Republic, Gabon, Kenya, and Morocco were eliminated, while 16 teams qualified for the final round, which will be held in Angola from August 12-24. ALSO READ: Rwanda qualify for AfroBasket 2025 On Sunday, February 23, Guinea and Rwanda secured the last two tickets to this year's African showpiece. Times Sport looks at key highlights worth noting from the tournament. Rwanda qualifies for AfroBasket 2025 Rwanda secured a ticket to AfroBasket 2025 finals after beating Gabon 81-71 in Rabat on Sunday to finish the Group C qualifiers in third place. Cheikh Sarr’s side had lost two games against Senegal (96-73) and Cameroon (86-83) in the two windows, and had the same result against Cameroon but their two wins over Gabon over the past two windows gave them the third place finish in the group and qualify for the finals. Senegal's dominance Senegal finished the 2025 AfroBasket qualifiers unbeaten in six games, and much of their success was due to their exceptional ability to dominate the boards. On Sunday, February 23, Senegal defeated Cameroon 83-76 in overtime to finish top of Group C. The west African giants beat Rwanda in both windows and had the same result against Gabon and Cameroon. Chris Silva tops scoring in Group C Former NBA player Chris Silva was key for Gabon although they failed to qualify. For instance, he recorded his third consecutive double-double (13 points, 16 rebounds) in the game against Rwanda although they went on to lose the game. The 28-year-old scored 75 points in three games, averaging 25 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. Axel Mpoyo back to his best Forward Axel Mpoyo is arguably in his prime time where he led the way for Cheikh Sarr’s side, scoring 50 points in three games of Group C. Mpoyo averaged 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. Ntore Habimana came so close with 47 points in total, averaging 15.7 points, 7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.
