The race for places at the 2027 FIBA AfroCan has begun, with Gabon becoming the first team to qualify through the regional qualifiers ahead of the tournament scheduled for Rwanda from July 2 to 11, 2027.

Gabon secured their place last week after beating the Republic of the Congo 86-58 in Douala, Cameroon.

They join Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) and hosts Rwanda, who automatically qualified after reaching the semi-finals of the 2023 edition in Angola.

Rwanda finished third in the 2023 tournament after defeating DR Congo in the bronze-medal match, while Morocco won the title by beating Côte d’Ivoire in the final.

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Organised by the FIBA Africa Regional Office, the AfroCan is a continental competition for national teams. Under the competition format outlined by FIBA, the tournament is held every four years and features 12 teams divided into four groups of three.

The qualifying tournaments for the 2027 edition are scheduled to take place between October 2026 and June 2027, determining the remaining places in the competition.

The tournament will feature 28 games, with teams playing between six and seven matches depending on their route to the semi-finals.

Teams that advance through the quarter-final classification games will play an additional match compared with those that qualify directly for the quarter-finals.