Africa's brightest young basketball talents will converge in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, for the 2026 FIBA U18 AfroBasket, which takes place at the Palais des Sports de Treichville from August 5 to 16. Beyond the battle for continental supremacy, the tournament also offers a pathway to the 2027 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Czechia, with the finalists earning Africa's two qualification spots. ALSO READ: Rwanda placed in Group C in U18 Afrobasket Who are competing? Twelve nations, including Rwanda, will compete in the tournament. The teams have been divided into three groups of four. Group A: Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Chad, Nigeria Hosts Côte d'Ivoire will be aiming to improve on their ninth-place finish in 2024 but face stiff competition from Nigeria, who impressed during the Zone 3 qualifiers. Chad may be considered underdogs, but they boast one of the continent's most exciting prospects in Ngaba Yaya, who averaged 24.2 points per game during the Zone 4 qualifiers. Record champions Egypt cruised through most of the Zone 5 qualifiers before suffering a surprise defeat to Rwanda in the final. That setback may have provided a timely wake-up call as they seek to reclaim the continental title. Group B: Mali, Madagascar, Gabon, Morocco Defending champions Mali enter the tournament as one of the favourites after winning three of the last five editions. Renowned for their size, athleticism and physical style of play, the Malians will be challenged by Morocco, who reached the semi-finals in 2024, as well as improving Madagascar and Gabon. Madagascar arrive in Abidjan full of confidence after winning all four of their matches during the Zone 6 qualifiers. Group C: Cameroon, Tunisia, Rwanda, Senegal Group C is widely regarded as the tournament's toughest pool. Cameroon and Senegal both reached the podium at the previous edition, while Tunisia and Rwanda impressed during their respective zonal qualifying campaigns. Rwanda head into the competition with confidence after winning the Zone 5 Championship, where they stunned Egypt in the final. The Junior Hoops demonstrated disciplined team defence and patient offensive play throughout the tournament. ALSO READ: Basketball: Rwanda U-18 team crowned Zone V champions Senegal once again possess one of the tallest and most physically imposing squads, making them a formidable force around the basket. Cameroon, runners-up on their tournament debut in 2024, will be eager to build on that impressive achievement. Competition format The 12 teams will compete in a single round-robin group stage. The top two teams from each group will qualify automatically for the quarter-finals, while the remaining two quarter-final spots will be awarded to the two best third-placed teams across the three groups. The four teams that fail to reach the quarter-finals will contest classification matches for places 9 to 12. Quarter-final winners will advance to the semi-finals, while the defeated teams will play classification matches for fifth to eighth place. The two semi-final winners will meet in the final, while the losing teams will contest the bronze-medal match. Opening day fixtures The tournament tips off on Wednesday, August 5, with four matches: Madagascar vs Gabon – 10:00 GMT Morocco vs Mali – 12:30 GMT Egypt vs Nigeria – 15:00 GMT Côte d'Ivoire vs Chad – 18:30 GMT
