Nigeria’s D’Tigers suffered a first-ever defeat to Guinea, losing 69–55 in the qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup on Saturday at the Salle Omnisports de Rades in Tunisia.

Guinea dominated from start to finish in what became their first victory over Nigeria in four meetings dating back to 1985. Souleyman Boum Jr. and Shannon Evans combined for 40 points to hand the Guineans an impressive 2–0 start in the African qualifying series.

The defeat follows D’Tigers’ opening-day loss to hosts Tunisia, leaving Coach Abdulrahman Mohamed’s team under pressure early in the campaign.

Nigeria trailed 22–16 at the end of the first quarter, went into half-time down 35–26, and despite a brief third-quarter push, could not overturn Guinea’s control. The West Africans extended their lead comfortably in the fourth quarter, sealing a 14-point win.

Guinea’s Serbian coach, Nedeljko Ascerić, credited his team’s defensive discipline:
“The X-factor was our defence. We held them to 27 per cent shooting.”

The loss underscores a shift in African basketball power. Guinea, who returned to elite competition in 2017 after a 32-year absence, have since shocked giants like South Sudan at the 2025 AfroBasket and now appear to be solidifying their continental rise.

Nigeria will face Rwanda Sunday in their final fixture of the initial phase. All group teams will meet again in the second phase, after which the top three will advance to the final qualifying round. Only five African teams will make the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.