The men’s national basketball team will start preparations for the FIBA World Cup 2023 qualifiers early December, officials have said.

The World Cup qualifiers are scheduled to begin in February 2022.

Cheikh Sarr, the national team head coach, is expected to name his provisional roster for the qualifiers next month to allow him ample time to build a strong team. 

Rwanda has never competed at the world’s biggest basketball tournament.

The qualification process comprises six windows that will take place over a period 15 months, determining the five African teams that will represent the continent at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

The qualification structure:

First round

Sixteen African teams will be divided into four groups of four. Teams in each group will play home-and-away games against each other, then the top three in the group advance to the second round.

Rwanda has been placed in Group B along with South Sudan, Cameroon and African champions Tunisia.

Second round

The twelve teams will be drawn into two groups, each comprising six countries.

The best two from each of pool will be joined the third best performing team in securing tickets to the World Cup to be held in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines.

First round groups:

Group A: Cape Verde, Mali, Uganda, Nigeria

Group B: South Sudan, Cameroon, Tunisia, Rwanda

Group C: Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Central Africa Republic, Angola

Group D: Kenya, Senegal, Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo