Rwanda’s men’s national basketball team has been eliminated from the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers after finishing the campaign without a victory, following a 106-62 defeat to Nigeria in their final Group C match.
The game, played on Sunday in Luanda, Angola, confirmed Rwanda’s winless run in the six-match group stage, where the team ended bottom of the group after losing all its fixtures.
Coached by Yves Mukunzi, Rwanda entered the final match already eliminated but was seeking a consolation win after a difficult qualifying campaign. However, Nigeria maintained control throughout the encounter, extending Rwanda’s struggles.
Prince led Rwanda’s scoring with 16 points, followed by Paul Bizimana with 11 and Sean Mwesigwa with 10, but the performance was not enough to challenge the Nigerians.
Rwanda finished Group C with six points and a point difference of -117, having scored 397 points and conceded 514 across the qualifiers.
Guinea topped the group with 10 points, level with second-placed Tunisia, while Nigeria also advanced to the next stage in third place.
Despite strong performances by Rwandan clubs on the continental stage, including RSSB Tigers’ Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2026 title success, the national team continues to struggle in international competitions.
Rwanda has now lost nine consecutive competitive matches, with its last win coming on February 23, 2025, when it defeated Gabon 81-71.
Over the last 20 competitive games, Rwanda has recorded only five wins, highlighting ongoing challenges in maintaining consistency at international level.
