African Basketball Championship: U18 Lionesses face Nigeria’s D’Tigresses in quarterfinals today.

Nigeria will begin the match as the favorite to secure a qualification ticket to the all-important semifinals stage of the tournament.

This is owing mainly to the Young D’Tigresses’ status as defending silver medalists; the Nigerians having reached the final of the 2024 edition in South Africa. 

However, the Under18 Lionesses who ranked third in that tournament after losing to competition giants Mali in the semifinals, are expected to build on the impressive form that they have demonstrated in the ongoing showpiece.

Cameroon reached the quarterfinals after completing the group phase sitting third in Group C where it was joined by powerhouses Tunisia, Senegal and Nigeria.

The head coach Majolie Lontseu-managed team won all its three matches in the round one series. 

The selection secured a hard-earned 75-74points victory over Nigeria in overtime, an extra five-minute period played to break a tie when the score is even at the end of regulation play in basketball. 

The Lionesses who are chasing their first ever overall winners’ trophy in the competition had kickstarted their race in the competition with a statement 61-30points victory over Senegal in their first match. 

The outfit further humbled Tunisia 61-51points in its final group match. 

If the U18 Lionesses defeat Nigeria on Wednesday, the team will advance to challenge the winner of the quarterfinal clash between host Cote d’Ivoire and North African outfit Tunisia. 

The other quarterfinals matches will see East African side Uganda entertaining North African selection Egypt while holders Mali battle things out with Kenya. 

Twelve teams entered the race in the ongoing championship which flags off on August 5 and ends on Sunday August 16.  

The two finalists of the tournament will qualify for the 2027 Under19 Women’s Basketball World Cup.

Cameroon is hoping to make its world cup debut at the 2027 showpiece after coming very close to bagging a qualification ticket to the 2025 edition.

U18 Lions to challenge Chad tomorrow 

Elsewhere in the men’s U18 African Basketball Championship which is also taking place in Cote d’Ivoire simultaneously with the women’s competition, Cameroon will entertain neighboring Chad in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

The match will be staged at the Treichville multipurpose sports complex in Abidjan with kickoff scheduled for 9:30pm Cameroon time. 

The U18 Lions who began the 2026 tournament with eyes on upgrading from the silver medal that they won in the 2024 edition to gold, will be the favorites in the match.

The team qualified for the quarterfinals after winning all its three matches in Group B. 

The outfit easily outsmarted Senegal, Tunisia and Rwanda to conclude the series as one of the most dominant selections in the first round of the tournament. 

If the team eliminates Chad to progress to the semifinals, it will go head-to-head with the winner of the quarterfinals match between Senegal and Madagascar. 

Twelve teams are competing in the men’s U18 African Basketball Championships.

The two finalists will qualify for the 2027 Under19 Basketball World Cup. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3876 of Wednesday August 12, 2026