Published: July 9, 2025
PAYNESVILLE, Liberia — The FIBA Zone 3 U-16 AfroBasket Qualifiers for boys and girls are set to tip off Thursday, July 10, at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Gymnasium, with five West African nations, including host Liberia, vying for a spot in next year’s continental showdown.
Ivory Coast, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Togo have confirmed their participation alongside Liberia in the weeklong tournament, which will determine Zone 3’s sole representatives for the 2025 FIBA U-16 AfroBasket, scheduled for Sept. 2–14 in Kigali, Rwanda.
Ivory Coast’s delegation, along with members of the FIBA technical committee, arrived in Monrovia on Tuesday. The remaining teams are expected to touch down Wednesday, ahead of a technical meeting and official draw to finalize groupings and fixtures.
The Liberia Basketball Association (LBA) expressed confidence in the country’s readiness to host.
“We are optimistic about delivering a successful tournament,” an LBA official said.
This marks the second time in less than a year that Liberia is hosting a major FIBA Zone 3 event. In November 2024, the country successfully staged the women’s qualifiers for the FIBA Africa Women’s Basketball League (AWBL).
The back-to-back international tournaments underscore Liberia’s ongoing push to reestablish itself on the regional basketball map after years under FIBA sanctions.
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