Egypt beaten by Cote d’Ivoire but climb to third in World Cup qualifying

Egypt were beaten 72-66 by Cote d’Ivoire in the second round of the fourth window of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African qualifiers, but moved into third place in their group on a provisional basis.

The fourth qualifying window is being staged in Senegalese capital Dakar from 27 to 30 August.

Cote d’Ivoire led 34-32 at half-time before completing victory, despite a determined attempt by Egypt to overturn the deficit in the fourth quarter.

The result leaves Egypt with 12 points and temporarily in third place. Cote d’Ivoire moved to the top of the standings with 15 points.

Egypt are competing in a group containing Angola, Mali, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal.

Egypt will complete their fixtures in the current window against Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sunday. The game is scheduled to begin at 15:30 local time.

The qualifiers are being played on a home-and-away basis. The group winners and runners-up will qualify for the 2027 World Cup, while the best third-placed team across the two groups will also secure a place at the tournament.

Egypt must finish in one of the top two positions to guarantee direct qualification. If they cannot achieve that, they will need to remain third and compete for qualification as the best team in that position.

The defeat to Cote d’Ivoire therefore leaves Egypt with little room for error in their final game of the window. Their immediate task will be to beat Democratic Republic of the Congo and strengthen their position before the qualification picture is settled.

Head coach Agusti Bosch had previously announced Egypt’s final squad for the fourth window of the African qualifiers.

The 12-man roster consists of Amr El Gendy, Ehab Amin, Ibrahim Zahran, Omar El Sheikh, Mohamed Taha, Adam Moussa, Ali Omar, Patrick Gardner, Omar Tarek, Hamd Fathy, Khaled Abdel Nasser and Anas Osama.

Egypt’s campaign is part of the qualification process for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup, with the team now relying on a strong finish to the current stage to keep their place among the leading sides in the group.