Gabon seal AfroCan place from Zone IV as Cameroon wait

Gabon book their ticket to Kigali

Two games, two wins: Gabon came through their qualifying campaign and secured a place at the 2027 AfroCan finals. The Panthers scored 169 points and conceded 138, a points difference of +31, after beating Cameroon (83-80) and the Republic of Congo (86-58).

Gabon's qualification owed much to their comeback against the hosts. Trailing by eleven points at half-time, the Panthers turned the game around to win narrowly. Against Congo they were then more in control, running out more comfortable winners. The two results showed they can come out on top in a tight contest and also see off a weaker opponent while dominating.

Gabon thus join the nations already qualified for the finals through reaching the semi-finals of the 2023 edition: hosts Rwanda, Morocco, Côte d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The final tournament is scheduled for 2 to 11 July 2027 in Kigali.

Interactive: replay the Zone IV qualifiers and follow the road to Kigali

Cameroon left waiting

Cameroon ended their home campaign with a win over the Republic of Congo (86-63) at the Japoma multisports complex. The result lets them finish second in the Zone IV qualifiers but does not guarantee them a place in the finals.

The defeat to Gabon (80-83) weighs heavily on the Lions' record. Despite their reaction against Congo, the Cameroonians failed to claim the only qualifying ticket up for grabs in the zone.

Whether they make it to Kigali now depends on the organisers' additional qualification arrangements. The possibility of a wild card, an invitation allowing a team to take part without having qualified by the usual route, remains to be confirmed. Cameroon must therefore wait to learn their fate.

Congo come up against their limits

The return of the Congolese A' selection to the international stage, after nine years away because of the sanction handed down by FIBA Africa in 2017, ended in a difficult campaign. After the elimination of the Red Devils U18 in the Afrobasket 2026 qualifiers in June, the A' national team now also leaves the competition without a win and without a place in the finals.

In their opening game, the Congolese lost to Gabon (58-86), by 28 points. They then suffered a second defeat, against Cameroon (63-86). Over the two games, Congo scored 121 points and conceded 172, a points difference of -51.

These results call for a clear-eyed analysis of the state of Congolese basketball. The long absence from international competition may have weighed on the team's preparation and level, even if it cannot alone explain the difficulties seen in Douala. For the Republic of Congo, the challenge now will be to learn the lessons of this campaign and to strengthen the work on preparation, coaching and player development ahead of the next continental events.