Rwanda has been dealt to a big blow after star guard Sifa Joyeuse Ineza was ruled out of the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire through an injury. Ineza, 23, had traveled with the national team to Abidjan for the tournament as head coach Cheikh Sarr was hoping to rely on her services during the continent’s most prestigious national team showpiece. However, he was forced to remove her from the final roster after she suffered a partial ACL injury during a training session with the national team on Wednesday. ALSO READ: Ineza joins Rwanda camp for Women’s Afrobasket 2025 Rwanda was pooled in Group D alongside defending champions Nigeria and Mozambique. The team will open the campaign against Nigeria on July 26, before taking on Mozambique on July 27. Both games will be played at the Palais des Sports in Treichville, Abidjan, which will host all 28 tournament games from Friday, July 26, to Sunday, August 3. ALSO READ: Women’s Afrobasket 2025: Rwanda placed in same group as Nigeria, Mozambique Group winners will advance directly to the quarter-finals and enjoy a two-day break on July 29 and 30. Teams finishing second and third in each group will play in a qualification round to determine the remaining quarter-finalists. The teams that lose in the quarter-finals will be seeded for classification matches (9th-12th place) based on their results. Beyond continental glory, the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket also serves as a qualifier for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 in Germany. The tournament winners will secure an automatic spot in the World Cup and join the second, third, and fourth-placed teams in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournaments in March 2026. In total, Africa will be represented by four teams in the qualifiers, which will feature six-team tournaments. Final squad: Odile Tetero, Destiney Philoxy, Faustine Mwizerwa, Jean Baptiste Stephanie, Rosine Micomyiza, Gloriose Byukusenge, Ange Nelly Irakoze, Keisha Hampton, Assouma Uwizeye, Rebecca Cyuzuzo, Hope Butera, and Bella Murekatete.
