AFCON 2025
Mali are back in the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket final after cruising past debutants South Sudan 76-50 in the semi-finals.
The West Africans will now face defending champions Nigeria in a highly anticipated championship clash on Sunday.
Oumarou Sidiya’s side were dominant from the opening tip-off, shaking off their narrow group-stage win over South Sudan with a much stronger performance.
They stormed to a 29-8 lead by the end of the first quarter and held a commanding 31-point advantage at halftime, effectively sealing the result early despite a better second-half response from the tournament newcomers.
This will be Mali’s third final appearance since winning their only AfroBasket title in 2007. They lost to Senegal in the 2009 final and to Nigeria in 2021. Last year, they fell short in the semi-finals against Senegal and settled for bronze with a comprehensive win over hosts Rwanda.
A win on Sunday would end Mali’s 18-year wait for a second title and halt Nigeria’s ongoing dominance. The Nigerian team is unbeaten in AfroBasket competition since 2015 and is chasing a record fifth straight title.
A championship victory would also secure automatic qualification for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin.
Despite Mali’s consistent success at the youth level—including U16 and U18 titles—the senior team has struggled to convert promise into continental dominance.
Sunday’s final offers a golden opportunity to change that narrative, but it will take something special to topple a Nigerian team hungry to make history.
