Angola named to host Silverbacks World Cup Qualifiers

The national men’s basketball team, Silverbacks are set to play in Angola in the first phase of the Fiba World Cup Qualifiers later this month.

In a letter sent out to national federations on Wednesday, Fiba confirmed that Benguela, Angola would host the first round for groups A and C.

Benguela is a city in Western Angola and capital of Benguela Province.

The tournament is set to tip off November 26-28.

Uganda is in group A alongside Nigeria, Cape Verde and Mali in the first round of the qualifiers.

Team manager Albert Ahabwe appreciates the financial challenges that come with trips to Angola but is confident the team will be ready.

“I'm in touch with the players and most of them are ready to go,” Ahabwe told Daily Monitor on Thursday.

The long route to the World Cup will see the 16 teams that played at this year’s Fiba Afrobasket take part in the fight for five available slots.

Uganda registered her best ever finish by ranking sixth after the continental tournament played in Kigali, Rwanda.

After the first phase, three teams from each of the four groups will progress to the next stage while the last are automatically eliminated.

Two groups, E and F will be made after the first group stage to accommodate the qualified 12 teams. Each group will comprise of six teams.

Teams from groups A and C will form group E after the first round while groups B and D enter into group F.

At that stage, teams only play opponents that were not in the same group in the first round and also carry their previous records into the final round.

In the end, the two teams that top groups E and F and the best placed third team qualify to the World Cup.

The Silverbacks will be without the services of Ishmail Wainwright, who just signed with the Phoenix Suns as well as the College basketball players like Arthur Kaluma, Adam Seiko and Kieran Zziwa.