Sunday, September 14 Final Côte d’Ivoire 62-49 Cameroon Côte d’Ivoire qualified for the 2026 FIBA U17 World Championships after winning the FIBA men’s U16 African championship title on Sunday, September 14, at the Petit Stade. The young Elephants saw off Cameroon in the final, winning 62–49. Côte d’Ivoire delivered on their promise, and while they faced tough competition from Cameroon, they never faltered. Cameroon showed grit and determination from the outset, staying within striking distance of Côte d’Ivoire. However, sloppy play from Nolan Ngangmeni two and a half minutes into the third quarter handed the ball to Côte d’Ivoire’s Omar Mangassouba, who scored to give the Elephants a four-point lead at 26–22. Cameroon were left reeling as their opponents continued to dominate and led by eight points by the end of the third quarter. ALSO READ: Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire square off in U16 AfroBasket quarterfinals Buoyed by double-double performances from Jean-Philippe Oka and Irené Raphael Ouédraogo, Côte d’Ivoire never looked back, walking away with a resounding 62–49 victory. Nolan Ngangeni will always wonder how he could have allowed the ball to slip from his grasp. He watched Omar Mangassouba score and pave the way for a 7–0 run in the first half of the third quarter. The final score was 15-9 to the Western Africans. As they headed into the final stanza, everything fell into place for Côte d'Ivoire. Leading by 13 points (45–32), they kept firing on all cylinders to reach 24–19, while Cameroon tried to stay in contention for as long as possible. However, their efforts came too little, too late, and Côte d'Ivoire went on to claim their first ever U16 AfroBasket title. Jean-Philippe Oka sealed the deal with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals. He made 8 out of 19 field goals, 7 out of 17 two-point field goals and 1 out of 2 three-point field goals. He would later be crowned the tournament's MVP. Irené Raphael Ouédraogo also contributed to his team's success with 10 points and 20 rebounds. Two statistics helped Côte d’Ivoire in Kigali. First, they made their presence in the paint felt, scoring a mere 46 points, compared to Cameroon’s 28 points. Next are the turnovers. Cameroon had a total of 27 turnovers, and Côte d’Ivoire just had 18 points off. Finally, 17 steals closed the deal for the new African champions. Côte d’Ivoire walked into the Petit Stade determined to make history. True to their word, they made sure that Cameroon didn’t have an easy game. They controlled the match from start to finish, setting their own pace. Meanwhile, Cameroon can reflect on their second-place finish and will have to wait another two years for another attempt at the title.
