WCup Qualifiers FixturesFeb.23Rwanda Vs MaliFeb. 24Rwanda Vs NigeriaFeb.25Rwanda Vs Uganda

Rwanda men’s national basketball will face hosts Mali in the Group B opening game at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers First Round to be staged in Bamako from February 23-25.

The Malian capital will host Group B that consists of Mali, Nigeria, Uganda and Rwanda.

Rwanda’s coach Moise Mutokambali has named a provisional 17-player squad that started non-residential training last Wednesday at Amahoro Indoor Stadium.

The team trains two days in a week until after the Heroes’ Day basketball tournament set for Jan.27-Feb.1, when they enter residential camp along with the professional players.

The top three teams from each group advance to the second round, where the 12 qualified teams are divided in two groups (E and F) of 6 teams each.

The first legs of the second-round tournament take place during the fourth window (September 10-18), with the return legs to follow during the fifth window (November 26-December 4) and the sixth window (February 20-28, 2019).

The top two teams from groups E and F and the best third-ranked team will secure their tickets for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. The first-ever 32-team edition of FIBA’s flagship competition will take place from August 31-September 15, 2019, in China.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw