South Sudan has qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after finishing as the top-ranking African team at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup which is underway in Manila, in the Philippines.

The Bright Stars booked their Olympics berth after beating Angola, 101-78, and after Egypt lost to New Zealand, 88-86, in their own Classification Round game.

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This was a historic feat for South Sudan, who were playing at the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time ever. Consequently, they will see action in the Olympics for the first time ever as well.

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"It's unbelievable. It's a dream come true. We became an independent country in 2011. No one ever imagined or dreamed of being in this position," Nuni Omot said. "And now we're going to have the chance to walk across the Olympic stage with our flag. It's unbelievable everything that's happened."

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There will be additional automatic spots in the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for the African sides still in contention as they now compete in the Classification Round. As long as these teams do not finish among the bottom five spots in the tournament, they still stand a chance to make it to one of the OQTs in 2024.

South Sudan became the third confirmed team alongside Paris 2024 hosts France and Australia. As such, there are five more automatic berths still up for grabs at the World Cup.